#*pulls out walkie* switching sides

[becasbelt]

putting mel on the cover was sooo sexy of them

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 62

Part 1 Part 61

Will stares down at his walkie-talkie, hand clutched so tight around it that its body creaks. Mike pries it gently from his grip. They all stand silently on the sidewalk, kids pushing past on their way up to get more candy.

“Who’s Steve?” Max asks.

It’s like she breaks some hold Jonathan’s echoing words had on him. Will starts running. If Steve is missing, they’ll find him. Luckily, Loch Nora is one of the only places that gives out full bars, sometimes. Still, it’s a hilly neighborhood, and the Harrington’s live right at the top.

Mike’s already complaining beside him, but he keeps up, Dustin trailing behind, determined but quickly huffing with exertion.

“Why are we running?” Max calls, trailing behind the entire pack of them with Lucas at her side, but still following dutifully along. “Who the hell is Steve?”

“He’s like—our babysitter?” Lucas replies, not sounding winded at all. Clearly deciding that’s too embarrassing, he continues, “no wait! Not like—he saved Will’s life when he and Eddie got lost in the woods last year and now, they’re blood brothers or something.”

They’ve all told the lie so many times, it rolls smoothly off the tongue. He got lost in the woods. Steve and Eddie found him. End of story. But Lucas says it like it’s a lie, and Max’s scoff says clearly, she knows it.

“Whatever, stalker,” she says, huffing along behind Will at that same frenetic pace.

Will can feel the tether pulling him the right way – three dots converging on a map. Eddie beats him. He can feel that, too, before he even sees Eddie’s van parked in the Harrington’s long driveway. It’s sideways, taking up the entirety of the driveway like he’d parked in a hurry.

The headlights are still on, beaming brightly against the tree planted in the Harrington’s front yard, highlighting the way its willowy stalks sway in the breeze. Three car doors are left open, flung wide and abandoned.

Will picks up his pace, even as breathing becomes more and more difficult. The front door is open, a mouth ready to swallow them all. He passes the threshold into noise.

All the lights are still off in the foyer. It’s like being in a cave, dark and hungry. He can’t see the ceiling. It feels vast. Like they’re just ants. He pauses, just for a second, to stare up at it, feeling so very small.

There’s a light on upstairs, illuminating bits of beige carpet. Voices tumble out of it, screaming and crying, like the light is fire, and they’re all burning up in it.

Will’s feet slip and slide on the stairs. He doesn’t fumble for a light switch, just runs up, crawls hands and feet the rest of his way when he slips. Footsteps thunder up behind him. Will doesn’t turn around, can’t.

The bedroom he steps into his bright after the darkness, and it’s like a renaissance painting, given movement. The way Barbara and Nancy are screaming at a girl Will's never seen before, gestures effusive, voices too loud as they toss them around the small room. Jonathan stands between them, back to Will staring into the recesses of an open closet.

Eddie’s there, crying. He sounds like a wounded animal. Like that rabbit Lonny had caught in his snare while it wailed and wailed and wailed. Clothes and hangers are raining down around the pair of them, knocked from the bar with the force Eddie’s shaking Steve’s shoulders with. It’d hurt if Steve was there.

But he isn’t.

Steve’s eyes are vacant. Like all the life’s been sucked right out of him. Will shudders. Stands. Waits. He’s always waiting.

Someone pushes into Will’s back – one of his friends trying to push through to get into the room from where he’s still lingering on the threshold.

The tether snaps, like Lucas’ slingshot being fired, with Will as the ball. He rockets toward them, dropping to his knees hard enough to hurt even on the plush carpet.

“Eddie?” he says.

Eddie doesn’t look at him, can’t seem to stop making that horrible noise that’s lodged itself in Will’s own throat. But he scoots to the side, and Will slots into his place at both of their sides.

“Steve?” Will says, so quietly he wouldn’t have been able to hear it even if he was awake. Not over Eddie.

Will hovers his hands over Steve’s shoulder, wanting to touch but so afraid he’ll be cold.

“Steve?” he tries again.

Steve stares and stares and stares.

Will lowers his hand, feels the warmth of skin, and then nothing at all.

Part 63

Taglist: @deany-baby @estrellami-1 @altocumulustranslucidus @evillittleguy @carlprocastinator1000 @1-8oo-wtfbro @hallucinatedjosten @goodolefashionedloverboi @newtstabber @lunabyrd @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @manda-panda-monium @disrespectedgoatman @finntheehumaneater @ive-been-bamboozled @harringrieve @grimmfitzz @is-emily-real @dontstealmycake @angeldreamsoffanfic @a-couchpotato @5ammi90 @mac-attack19 @genderless-spoon @kas-eddie-munson @louismeds @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @pansexuality-activated @ellietheasexylibrarian @nebulainajar @mightbeasleep @neonfruitbowl @beth--b @silenzioperso @best-selling-show @v3lv3tf0x @bookworm0690 @paintsplatteredandimperfect

[fuctacles]

The last chapter is here! With the 2nd art piece from @penny00dreadful I'm so glad I could work with her for the @steddiebang2024 <3 It was a wild ride but it's finally done!

Steve opens the bathroom door, releasing the steam from his shower so he doesn't slow cook himself while finishing his evening routine. 

"Would you mind if I changed up the bathroom? The dark colors aren't doing this for me!" he calls out with half a smirk while fishing out his toothbrush.

"Yes, I would mind!" Eddie answers him loudly through the distorted voice from the walkie. Steve only smiles to himself and starts brushing his teeth. 

He doesn't realize he has company until something appears in the fogged corner of his mirror. Eddie draws him a frowning face, making Steve raise his eyebrows. 

"I'm not actually going to change your bathroom, calm down."

There is clearly not enough room for Eddie to express himself, so he only adds an exclamation mark. Steve walks over to the bathroom door. 

"What is it?" he asks, mildly annoyed.

"I've finished my book," Eddie complains through the walkie placed on the bed. 

On Steve's spare pillow lies another Pratchett book he managed to hunt down. It's indeed flipped to its last page. 

"Already?! You just started it!"

"I started it two hours ago," Eddie corrects him.

"Still! If you keep reading this fast there won't be enough books in the store!"

"There are other stores. Will you please bring me another one?"

Steve crosses his arms.

"Or you could go to sleep." He points out, raising an eyebrow. 

"Pleeease Steve. Only one chapter. I'll be good."

Steve sighs. He's heard these 'one chapter' lies for almost half of his life. 

"Fine. But don't come complaining when you run out of things to read."

"I won't! Promise."

He acts grumpy but is more than happy to bring Eddie his books. Hearing his excitement when Steve brought them was reward enough. Now he grabs the rest of the books from the pile and brings them back to spread them on the bed. 

"Pick your poison, Munson."

Eddie hums through the walkie-talkie. 

"The Gaiman one looks good."

"Okay." Steve swaps his previous book with the new one. He can almost imagine a man lying next to him on his stomach, flipping it open. 

"Thanks, man."

"Don't mention it." Steve gets up to switch off the light. "This okay?" he asks, trying to gauge if the bedside lamp's light is enough to read by. 

"Yeah, it's alright."

He walks back to bed to tuck himself in for the night even though he knows he won't fall asleep anytime soon. It's too new, being able to hear Eddie by his side and see the evidence of his presence in the flipping pages. 

"Is it fun?" he asks, unable to stop himself. 

"It seems promising. I could read it for you?" Eddie offers. 

"Oh. No, it's alright." He wants to but doesn't want to ruin Eddie's experience. He's been so excited to get his hands on the new books. 

"It's no problem, really. I'd love to use my new voice privileges."

Steve chuckles at that. 

"Well then, by all means."

Eddie doesn't hesitate and even through the radio static, manages to pull Steve into the story. It shouldn't be surprising that he likes storytelling and showmanship, adding unique voices to all the characters. It's a shame that Steve falls asleep before the end of the chapter. 

Eddie's hair is splayed over the pillow like a dark cobweb. He's shaking, little tremors running through his body, and his mouth is open in a perfect o-shape. Steve feels the need to spit right into it and he doesn't hesitate long to indulge that thought. The loud moan he gets in response is all the reward he needs.

"Thank you, holy shit, thank you," Eddie mumbles after swallowing the spit given to him. The blissed-out look on his face fills Steve with pride. He did it. He reversed the local heartthrob into a babbling mess. 

read full on Ao3

[pascalfaye]

Hoping this finds the right people: a little late for Stranger Things Day, but I will update in parts 🖤

Why’d You Have To Be A Hero?

TAGS: Canon Continuing, Angst, Major Character Death, Fix It, Steve has trauma, Near Death Experience, Out of Body Experience, Ghost Eddie

“Come in, Babysitter! — fuck it, STEVEEE!!”

The radio crackled with Dustin’s frantic voice, disrupting the new silence. Vecna lay burning on the ground outside the Creel house. Steve, Nancy, and Robin stood over him on the decrepit porch.

Steve unhooked the walkie from Robin’s shoulder. “Dude, are you topside yet? What’s wrong?”

“Eddie. He, he cut the sheets..” Dustin could barely stumble the words out. “He’s still in the Upside Down! The bats… they were everywhere… there were too many—“

The walkie whined sharply and Steve winced, pulling the device away from his ear, a pit forming in his stomach. “Dustin! Dustin, come in!”

“—tried to get him to come back… can’t… danger…” The static was so bad Steve only picked up every few words.

His feet were moving before he made a decision. “I’m coming, just hold on!” Panic like fire coursed through his veins. I fucking told you to not be a hero! Damn it, Eddie! He had been clear about getting out. What did Munson think he had to prove?

“Steve! Wait!” Robin called after him, following him a pace or so down the stairs. “What should we do..?”

Steve looked over his shoulder, pausing slightly. He made eye contact with Nancy. “I… it’s Dustin…”

“Go! We’ll finish this,” Nancy cocked her shotgun confidently. “We’ll meet you at the trailer gate!”

“Get out as soon as you can!” Steve yelled as he tore into a run. He knew he could make it to the cursed Munson trailer on foot. What he didn’t know was what he would find when he got there. He heard a quick pop-pop of the shotgun behind him as Nancy shot Vecna, and then silence again.

——+++——+++——

Pain.

Just pain.

Eddie lay face up towards the sky, bats clouding his vision, ravaging his body.

At least I’ll be a hero.

Searing, tearing pain radiated from everywhere, his sides, his neck, his arms, his legs.

I didn’t run this time…

Blood slipped down his chin and neck, thick and warm.

God, I didn’t say goodbye to Wayne. I’m going to die here and I didn’t even give the old man that much…

Far off, like through water, shouting and yelling resounded from the direction of the trailer.

Dustin. Poor kid. He’ll never forgive me…

Bats skittered and screamed as they fought over his mangled form.

Steve… he’ll never forgive me either. Told me to not be a hero… or cute… can’t be cute for Steve now…

With a crack of lightning, the bats let out one discordant shriek and suddenly, like they had been turned off with a switch, they dropped out of the sky. One landed with a wet thud on Eddie’s chest. Blood gurgled up from his mouth.

Can’t be with Steve…

Eddie was too delirious to ponder why that was his last thought. His vision blurred. The sky crackled with thunder. Then nothing.

No pain.

Blessed silence.

TO BE CONTINUED

[lonely-north-star]

jewelry maker mammon x retail worker mc pt 2

hi guys, two people asked for part two and now I'm here. Did not expect people to find enjoyment in this.

Part one above, not sure how to shorten it on mobile. Once again, this is me projecting onto my MC because I'm not suffering alone. Anyway, more craft store silliness !!

-Mammon attends the hiring event, dressed in a button down shirt and his hair combed. It's his Lucky Interview Outfit™

-He's kinda nervous because he really would like to work here and doesn't want to blow his chance

-The store manager recognizes him, and Mammon can't tell if this is good or bad

-Good because he's already got him laughing, and it helps brush over the fact that there's a few gaps in his resume

-The manager admits he had hoped to see Mammon there and it's good to put a name to a face

-Asks Mammon what he wants to work as, which Mammon kinda shrugs at, saying he's pretty flexible, but reminds him he's already good with the beads

-Says they'll label him as a floor person and put him anywhere as needed

-His first day is filled with training which he finds extremely boring until MC comes in to the break room

-She stops in her tracks and is stunned to see him there, before she recovers and smiles at him

"You're gonna work here now?"

"Nah, they just gave me a vest and name badge for nothing."

-She huffs and side eyes him as she grabs her equipment, rolling her eyes when she puts her bag away. Turns around, handing him a yellow star sticker

"For your badge."

-Suddenly he's even more eager to finish training and get to work

-His first days, he works short shifts during her hours and trains on the register (because everyone needs to know they claim)

-MC falls short of shaking him, sternly telling him to ask questions, no, she will not get mad. Yes, she may look irritated but she always looks like that. She'd rather you ask.

-They let him take over on his third day and he has great interactions with every customer

-He gets two credit card applications immediately. Had to walkie for help because he knew the script, but not the process (because no one ever gets them)

-The manager group chat receives a single photo of his tally sheet from the store manager because "Five sign ups! Three protection plans! Where has this cashier been my whole career? 🔥"

-He quickly becomes a favorite because of how good his numbers are

-No one knows how he does it but as long as higher ups aren't breathing down their neck everyone is happy

-It's because he's extremely motivated by the sticker rewards MC gives out. They're scented

-He might be good at the register but he hates staying up there when it's slow because he feels trapped. He can only recover the queue line so much guys

-Will beg to go on the floor if he's met the goal for the week and there's another person scheduled. Or will work to make the goal first and then beg to switch places

-On Fridays he works mornings in order to do jewelry repacks (Repacks are boxes of mixed products that get sent to us that we have to sort into other boxes by department. These things are like 12 x 10 x 20 inches maybe?)

-They are PACKED with products. The strung beads specifically come wrapped in bubble wrap or sealed bags by the SKU. Same goes for other products like findings, wire, and string. You spend a lot of time ripping open the package, pulling it out, scanning it, and then putting it on the shelf

-But see, Mammon knows these aisles better than the back of his hand. He doesn't need the scanner

-He'll unwrap handfuls at a time of strung beads and immediately start putting them out. Anything that goes in the next aisle he doesn't touch because he will not be walking back and forth, he's going to gather it all up and do it at once

-He spends barely an hour on each box, and once he's done, he admires any of the new items that came in. As a treat.

-Replen manager comes to check on him and she's stunned to find him done. She buys him a pastry from across the street as a reward

-He does help out with other repacks, but it takes him longer since he's not as familiar with the aisles

-Despises craft paint with a burning passion. Do NOT put him in that aisle or he will throw a fit. Threatens to quit (wouldn't actually)

-Gets frustrated easily with that aisle because the paint tubes fall over too often. And his hands are too big to reach for the one that fell over, and he'll end up knocking more over because the shelves are too close together

-Has trouble folding T-shirts. MC has shown him multiple times but he can't stay consistent with it

-One time she found him kneeling on the floor trying to fold a shirt. Has not let him fold since

-Now if they're working together, she folds them and he puts them away. It's efficient.

-After three weeks, he's gotten pretty good with memorizing the store and product locations. He has come to this conclusion.

Hell: Craft paint, T-Shirts, Open Stock Paintbrushes

Heaven: Jewelry <3, Kids Beads, Seasonal, Yarn

Neutral: Fine Arts, Ribbon (Thin Ice), Stickers, Fabric, Floral, Baking (Hates the baking pans specifically though), Wood, Frames, the rest of the store basically

-He likes making things look neat (actually likes the way MC looks pleased when he drags her over to show it off)

-If they're working together, he might get slightly distracted and trail after her to chat. She only allows it if it's slow.

-If someone needs help she'll shoo him away/send him off. He'll come right back after he's done though

-Otherwise she's walking through the aisles recovering with him and doing returns, handing him stuff and pointing to where it goes as he rambles about a new commission he made. Or the newest beads they got in stock.

"Says B 23."

"And they said they we're gettin' it for their partner-"

"There. Next to the red gift bags."

"-but how do ya not know their favorite color?! C'mon! That's like the first thing ya learn!"

"What's yours?"

"Blue. Or gold. And yellow, when gold ain't an option, because yellow is a lot more common. But none of that neon crap! Nah, like.. like.. I'll show ya when we reach the bead aisle! Anyway, they came back all-"

-'Yellow.' She thinks. Fitting, for someone who brightens her day so much. She shakes the thought away.

-She won't admit it but she does enjoy it. It makes the time pass faster.

"Did you know the beads go on sale Sunday? And we get paid this Friday. Are you gonna buy any?"

"...Are ya messin' with me?"

"Why would I be?"

"I'm going to buy so many things."

-MC starts to dread Sunday, and knows she's gonna have to reign him in. Oh boy.

-

hahaha pt 3 is in the works, i think. Because I had more ideas, but this got long again. Rest of this is me rambling.

Anyway, today I worked on repacks for Research™. And because I didn't wanna hear people asking if things are in the back. NO. I DID IT ALL TODAY !! EVERY LAST BIT !! (for t shirts and jewelry at least)

Took me four hours to do three jewelry boxes, though I did stop multiple times to help customers and go fulfill online orders. And unlike Mammon, I did need a scanner for some of it.

T shirts I did five boxes and took ten minutes a box since I didn't need the scanner except a handful of times. So it definitely varies on what department you're doing how long you'll take and how familiar you are with the aisle. For reference, it took my coworker 3.5 hours to do two boxes of jewelry.

Edit:

HERE'S PT 3 LOLOL

[butternuggets-blog]

Go-at Peacefully Into The New Year

A Discovery of Witches, Fluff/Humor

New Year's Eve, 1966

Gallowglass stepped into the room with an emphatically nonchalant air. He shut the door behind him as Marcus, Jack and Martin looked up from their card game.

'If anybody asks, I was with you all night.'

'What did you do?' Martin frowned.

'Nothing. I was here with you all night.'

-weewoo-weewoo-weewoo-

A firetruck zipped by, lights flashing. Martin stared at the window after it, alarmed.

-weewoo-weewoo-weewoo-weewoo-

Three more fire engines raced by in quick succession.

'What did you do?!' Jack and Marcus chorused.

'The roof.' Martin threw his hand down and brushed past a protesting Gallowglass. 'Come on!'

****

The roof of the hotel gave a panoramic view of the park in the middle of the square. A towering inferno, some thirteen foot high, was blazing in the middle of it, firemen scrambling to unroll hoses and set up a corden to keep curious onlookers at a safe distance.

Martin gaped. He turned slowly to look at Gallowglass; his face was the same colour as his hair and he looked like he was trying to melt into the floor.

'..Eric-'

Gallowglass winced.

'-is that the goat?!'

'I didn't mean to!' Gallowglass protested, throwing his hands up defensively. 'I was just having a cigarette!'

Martin sighed. 'How?!'

Gallowglass looked sheepish. 'I..may have let the butt roll away from me.'

'You're supposed to stub out cigarettes,' Marcus commented helpfully. Jack was sketching the burning statue, capturing the essence of the moment in, ironically, charcoal.

'I did!' Gallowglass whined.

'Not successfully,' Martin glowered.

________________________________________________________________

'-and that's why we're here,' Gallowglass explained, glancing through his binoculars at the town stretched out before him. The square was still there, prettily decked-out in Christmas lights. The Gävle Goat stood tall and proud above the trees, icicles hanging from its horns.

'So we're going to burn down the goat,' Phoebe lowered her binoculars to stare at the side of Gallowglass' head. 'Commiting international arson, all to spite Baldwin who insists that this "tradition" be put to rest?'

'Exactly!' Martin army-crawled up beside them and pulled a map out of his lapel pocket. 'Right. Baldwin's hunkered down in the hotel with his usual command centre of walkie-talkies. Gallowglass?'

'I see them,' Gallowglass was scanning the square. 'Groups of three patrolling each corner of the park; four snipers on the rooftops and-'

He switched the binoculars to nightvision. '-one holding the fort on the manhole cover, east side.'

'Wow..' Phoebe's jaw dropped. 'You guys really take it that seriously?'

'Not always,' Martin was fishing a round, small stone out of his jacket pocket. 'But times changed and it just wasn't feasible to keep using flaming arrows and the like so we've both had to step up our game.'

'Time.' Gallowglass muttered, checking his watch.

Martin pulled a glove off and placed the stone in the palm of his hand. He squeezed it tight until the warmth from his skin leached into the stone, his other hand gripping his binoculars.

All three watched as the poor bastard holding fort at the manhole was suddenly yanked into it, Diana popping up from below.

'Contact!' Martin grinned.

Diana wove a knot and fog began to pour from the vent, rapidly obscuring the route around the park. As it hit each security team, they began swaying on their feet before delicately crumpling to the ground.

'Sleeping like babes' Gallowglass grinned.

Next, the wind picked up. The fog started to dissipate as Diana rose into the air. Without warning a barrage of gunfire hit her, engulfing her in a hail of bullets from four different directions at once.

Phoebe hissed in shock. Martin grabbed her hand.

'It's alright.. they're rubber bullets, remember?' he soothed. 'Baldwin wants her disarmed, not dead.'

'Besides-' Gallowglass was fiddling with a black controller covered in switches and knobs. '-Matthew would kill him if he actually hurt her.'

There was a gentle hum no human ears would be able to detect and a sleek, see-through drone rose from the opposite embankment. Gallowglass piloted it carefully through the snowy topography as Martin watched the monitor app on his phone, spouting directions.

'Through the grate..right...left...left again..okay, now straight up-'

The drone climbed stealthily up above the grate Diana had previously occupied. Taking advantage of the distraction the shielded witch was providing, Gallowglass kept the drone as low to the ground as possible until he had manoeuvred it behind one of the massive goat legs.

'Climb and fire! Climb and fire!'

The drone sped up the leg. Coming level with the goat's chest, it released a great gout of flame from the flamethrower attached to its undercarriage which caught quickly, eating through the statue's front in seconds.

Martin, Phoebe and Gallowglass cheered, whooping and laughing as the goat quickly became engulfed. Through her binoculars, Phoebe spotted a dejected-looking Baldwin holding his head in his hands as Diana alighted on the windowsill beside him. She couldn't hear what Diana said next, but Baldwin gave her a nasty glare and shoved the cackling witch off the ledge.

Bursts of colour suddenly filled the sky elsewhere in the city. Great whirls of blue, green, red and gold rocketed up, the pop of the fireworks mingling with the distant cheers and singing of the city's inhabitants.

Phoebe linked arms with Martin and Gallowglass. She smiled.

'Happy New Year!'

[cliickermiller]

Found again 1 of 4 - Dad! Joel Miller x daughter! Reader, future Ellie x reader

Summary: You were meant to be killed after you were unknowingly handed off at 11 years old by your uncle to military, it wasn't fully Tommy's fault, they were yelling about quarantine zones and safety trucks transporting cilvians, he thought you'd be safe, but after almost two years of running and avoiding infected, military and the crazy ass survivors, you were finally at your wits end trapped while sacavanging before a woman finds you leading you back to your light

Warnings: cussing, talk of people being killed, infected being killed

September 26th 2003

You watched as your Uncle Tommy disappeared farther and farther into the distance, the truck shaking from the holes and broken pieces of road leading you out of your hometown in Texas. You were split from your sister and dad whenever the truck was crashed, uncle Tommy realized the safest thing for you to go with the groups of soldiers with many guns and other protective gear.

You were in the truck maybe an hour before it pulled to the side of the road, you could hear the rough crackling and static of the solider's walkie talkies going off "We're at capacity" They spoke, many people started to ask questions about what it meant, where they were supposed to go now, but you could tell something was wrong, they were loading their guns and getting off. You quickly slipped through the truck bed's boarded up walls, which had about 2-3 foot between them, running into the treeline, you didn't trust them and you knew your dad, sister and Uncle Tommy were meant to meet at the river, and you were right not to trust the soldiers, moments later you heard loud gunfire and almost all of the passengers now laid slump in a ditch.

You took off running quickly, in any direction you could that was away from those soldiers, you wanted your dad, why couldn't of you stayed with him?

December 2nd 2005

You were hyperventilating and needed to calm down, you were out of ammo and just broke your only knife in a clickers neck before you were attacked but ten others, they were pounding at the door screaming and wailing to get in the room, this was it, this is how you died. You bit your knuckle trying to hold back a sob before hearing glass shatter behind you "Hey! Kid, come on!" A woman yelled reaching her hand through the window, you didn't think twice and grabbed her hand crawling out of the room right as the door hinges gave out, clickers and runners rushing into the room ready to devour you. "I'm Marlene, you almost got yourself in trouble there" She said softly pulling you up off the ground "I-I'm Y/n..Miller" You sighed, almost forgetting your name for a moment, you hadn't spoke to anybody in awhile and hadn't needed to introduce yourself. "I have a camp, set up a few miles away from here....We're called the fireflies..why don't you come join us, you look way to young to be out here.."

August 14th 2007

"Y/n. I have a job for you" Marlene's voice came through your walkie, you grabbed it off your belt watching out of the window confused, she was supposed to be back already "Protect the girl. Protect Ellie. I got fuckin shot" Her voice cut through the speaker harshly "Got it..Marlene..Are you gonna make it?.." You asked nervously, she was the first person to actually help you after you lost Tommy and Joel, you didn't wanna lose her too. "I dunno..just protect her please, get her to the lab" She demanded, you switched the channel on your walkie fighting back tears as you marched down the hall "I need troops out finding Marlene! She's injured somewhere outside of camp! Now!" You yelled into the walkie before clipping it onto your belt.

You slowly opened the door to Ellie's holding room seeing her sitting on the floor curled up against the wall "Hi..I'm y/n..Marlene sent me" You said watching as she looked up at you with a glare "fuck you" She seethed "I'm not doing any of your stupid ass tests" She continued standing up "Listen. I'm not some smart scientist or anything, I'm a sixteen year old who sneaks out of the camp at night to smoke weed" You said establishing a slight layer of trust hoping she'd catch on "Why the hell are you telling me this?" She asked raising an eyebrow "Because, I feel like you're a trusting person and I want you to trust me" you said sitting a few feet from her reaching point "Why're you here?..Where's Marlene?" She asked, you sighed looking at her, she was like 10? you couldn't tell, you tried to steer clear of kids, they reminded you of your childhood and your dad and you didn't wanna think about him, he was probably dead somewhere walking around with mushroom plates growing outta his face. "She's been hurt..but..I've got our people looking for her..She wanted me to make sure nothing happens to you..you're a special person" You said scooting closer "Yea..everybody claims I'm this special fucking person but keep me chained in a room to run tests on me" She sassed "I know..I know..I'm not sure why you're special..but special enough that Marlene is going through very very long lengths to protect you" You explained.

You sat talking with Ellie for another two hours before Marlene walked in looking at you both "Y/n..I've found help but..I wanna make sure there's no bad blood..It's a woman and man, Tess, and Joel" She said, you furrowed your eyebrows "I don't know any Tess or Joel" You said clearly, your dad was probably dead by now, you had to convince yourself that so you wouldn't drive yourself crazy. Marlene looked at you hesitantly before calling out for them to come in, You kept your head down, packing your and Ellie's bag with sandwiches and a flashlight, a knife for Ellie and a gun for you. "Ellie...This is our help Joel and Tess, guys this is Ellie and Y/n..You'll be escorting them across the u.s" Marlene explained, you heard your men rush in to take Marlene to the medic leaving you alone, you wanted to turn around but you were also scared.

You heard footsteps then Ellie's groan as she thrown into the wall, you quickly cocked your pistol turning around and aiming at the two "Leave her alone!" Ellie yelled towards them, you froze, your hands shaky and your mouth went dry, there was your dad, alive standing infront of you again. Your dad. Where was Sara though? "Baby girl" He rasped watching you, waiting for you to drop your gun to hug you tightly, you hugged him back hiding your face from Ellie and Tess in Joel's coat collar holding back sobs "I thought I had lost you too" You heard your dad cry into your flannel sleeve "Damnit y/n what the hell happened?" He asked holding onto you tighter like he was in a dream terrified to wake up and not see you. "Uncle Tommy sent me with the military" You said softly, the smell of your father surrounding you was comforting and put you in a state of calm. "And you ended up with the fireflies?" He asked finally pulling away to look at you, you weren't his little girl anymore, you weren’t the 4 foot tall doe eyed little girl he last saw before he said goodbye to both of his daughters. Whenever Tommy had told Joel why you weren’t with him he lost it, collapsing once he got the chance in tears, he promised your mother, his wife to protect you two girls and he had managed to lose you both in one night, now here you were fully capable of survival in a world like this. He didn’t wanna think about what you went through to get here though.

“That’s another story..whenever Ellie is asleep” you said softly looking at him “I missed you..a lot..” you whispered, you heard Ellie grunt standing up “are you gonna explain y/n? He looked like he wanted to murder you five seconds ago” Ellie grunted standing up grabbing her back shooting a harsh glare towards Joel “This is my Dad. Joel..” you mumbled looking at her, you could see her face soften, one of the things you clicked about earlier was not having parents, sure you didn’t lose them the same way but you were still stuck without them, she was happy for you of course, but she was also a little jealous, she wanted that, she wanted a dad to come find her and rescue her from this.

“You guys need to start your trip back before it gets light out” Mark said sternly, you and him fought a lot, he was an ass and you never appreciated his snarky comments or creepy stares. Tess nodded in agreement letting you and Ellie stick between her and Joel as they lead you back to the QZ. Joel walked behind you, wondering if he really wanted you coming along, or if he wanted to do this at all anymore, you could stay in his apartment, stay safe from any harm outside but if the guards found a firefly, former or current they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot.

Part two?..should a make it a lil series?

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 1

Episode 8: The Space Rock

~Junk-N-Stuff~

"Careful, careful." (y/n) said to Gooch, who was busy operating a crane. Henry watched on as they tried to move a space rock around the store. One wrong move and the immensely dense rock would break through the floor.

"No, no, move all those things to the side," Gooch said to Henry, who was trying to clear some space for the rock.

"All right, all right." He said dragging a table across the room.

"Hey, you guys." Charlotte entered the shop, carrying a tray of corn dogs.

"You're late for work, Char." (y/n) said to her, her eyes still on the rock.

"It's not my fault. There was a line at The Corn Doggery." Charlotte explained to her, so the woman decided she would overlook it, just this once.

"You got us corn dogs?" Henry asked his friend, excited at the prospect of food.

"Yeah, dude," Charlotte said as Henry went to grab one.

"How can you eat those things?" (y/n) asked the teens, looking at the greasy snacks in disgust.

"Because they're delicious," Henry stated in an obvious tone, making her roll her eyes.

"This is not corn dog time. Okay, give me a corn dog." Gooch scolded his colleagues, but the temptation of a deep-fried sausage was too much for him.

"So, what is all this?" Charlotte asked, corn dog in hand.

"That is a big rock," Henry said.

"From outer space." (y/n) added in, making the rock seem even more mysterious.

"No, I mean, what's this crane for?" Charlotte cleared up.

"To move the damn thing. It weighs over seven thousand pounds." (y/n) told her, pointing at it.

"Wow, can I borrow this crane to move my big Uncle Rosco? Because he's been on our couch since Christmas." Charlotte turned to Gooch, who wasn't sure if she was serious or joking.

"Why aren't you downstairs with Ray?" Henry piped up, realising that it wasn't often that (y/n) came upstairs to Junk-N-Stuff.

"Eh, he's doing some stupid dancing thing with Leilani, so I figured I'd come help with this." She muttered, looking at a random item on the shelf so they all wouldn't see how hurt she was. But they did, and a sympathetic wave washed over them.

"Darn it. Which one of these controls makes the--" Gooch suddenly said as he pulled at the levers and pushed several buttons. Unfortunately, he hit the release button and the rock dropped through the floor and kept going until it reached the Man Cave below.

"You nitwit, how did you drop it?" (y/n) looked in horror at the damage that had been caused.

"Wow, that things gonna drop all the way down to the Man Cave." Charlotte pointed out.

"Ray!" Henry and (y/n) looked at each other with wide eyes and ran to the walkie-talkie on the counter, hoping they could warn him in time.

~Meanwhile, down in the Man Cave~

Ray was dancing and wiggling his hips in time with Leilani when his laser remote in his pocket started to ring.

"Hey, I can't talk. I'm hula-sizing with Leilani." He said.

"Ray, there's seven thousand-pound space rock on its way down there," Henry shouted down the line.

"There's a what on its way down where?" Ray stopped dancing, as he tried to understand what Henry had just said. Unexpectedly, the space rock came smashing through the ceiling and hit the superhero on his head. Leilani screamed at his side and looked at him in horror.

"Ray?" The Hawaiian woman said, placing a hand on his chest and giving him a shove. When he didn't move, she ran off, over the couch and through the sprocket.

"Ray? You there? What happened?" Henry said into the walkie-talkie after he heard a massive crash.

"Ray! A very heavy rock is about to crash through your ceiling." Henry tried to warn him, but it was too late.

Ray raised his and looked at the mess around him and heard Henry through his remote.

"Yeah. Thanks for the heads up." He groaned, flopping his head back down and switching off the call.

"I bet that got them to stop dancing." (y/n) smirked to herself, making the others shrug and eat their corn dogs.

~The next day~

"No more rocks from outer space." (y/n) looked at Ray, who was helping Gooch patch the hole in the ceiling whilst she swept up the debris.

"I didn't know it would drop down here," Gooch told her, climbing down the ladder.

"And I didn't know it would land on my head," Ray added as he smoothed the plaster over the hole.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The young woman asked in concern. Seven thousand pounds of rock is a lot to take on the head, even if you're indestructible.

"I'm Captain Man, I'm always okay." He smiled at her as he jumped down, making her roll her eyes. They had started to pack up the wall repair kit when Gooch placed a shaking hand on Ray's shoulder. The two looked at him weirdly, wondering why he looked so scared.

"Gooch, you look like you've seen a ghost." (y/n) inclined her head at him.

"Look." He was pointing at the rock, which they had left on the floor due to its immense weight. It had cracked open and was full of a weird, purple goo. (y/n) grabbed Ray's bicep as she looked at him and he took her hand in his.

"That's no rock." She said in horror, seeing the slime trailing away from the rock.

"And whatever was in it, is now in here," Ray whispered, looking around the Man Cave.

"I should call Henry." Gooch shuffled to the supercomputer, as (y/n) jumped onto Ray's back, terrified at the thought of some unknown creature running around her ankles. The man's hands quickly grabbed the back of her knees so she wouldn't fall off.

"This isn't really helping." He looked up at her.

"So get your biggest gun and shoot the damn thing before it eats us!" She hissed in his ear and he ran to the weaponry.

~10 minutes later~

Henry and Charlotte tumbled out of the elevator, seeing Ray creeping around the computer area with (y/n) still on his back. He had one hand holding up her leg and in the other, a large laser blaster. Similarly, (y/n) had an arm around his neck, but her gun was smaller and her hand was shaking. Gooch was sneaking around the back of the Man Cave, a golf club in hand. 

"Ray, what's wrong?" Henry asked in a loud voice.

"SHHHHHH!" The adults put their fingers over their lips, not wanting to spook the creature.

"How come you guys are---" Charlotte started, but this time, Henry was the one to shush her.

"Why are you shushing me?" She asked him in confusion.

"I don't know they started it." He replied, gesturing to the still searching grownups.

"Will you two be quiet?!" Ray scolded them, (y/n) looking pale over his shoulder.

"We have a situation," Gooch said to the kids. 

"What's going on?" Henry asked them, and Ray passed his blaster to (y/n). He started to mimic how the rock fell from the ceiling and had hatched an extraterrestrial creature that was now scurrying around the Man Cave.

"Use your words, doofus." (y/n) slapped his shoulder with her gun. Even she had no idea what his charades meant. 

"Look at the space rock." He hissed, pointing at the broken shell.

"What the Jack happened?" Charlotte asked, walking over to it.

"It hatched, duhhh." (y/n) said from Ray's shoulder as he took his blaster back.

"What do you mean it hatched? It's a rock. Rocks don't hatch. Do rocks hatch?" Henry pointed at the thing in terror, looking to Charlotte for answers.

"No, eggs hatch." She told him.

"So, the space rock was really a space egg?" Henry looked at his boss and the girl clinging to his back like a koala.

"Yeah, and last night it hatched and some 'thing' crawled out of it," Ray explained with a serious look on his face.

"Where'd it go?" Henry started to go white.

"We don't know. It's in here with us." (y/n) said, her hands tightening on Ray's shoulders.

"But it left that purple slime trail." The man said, and they all looked at where the alien had slithered off to.

"So, you're saying that some creature from outer space, crawled outta that egg rock and now it's somewhere around here, but you don't know where it is?" Charlotte looked at Ray and recounted the situation.

"Yeah, pretty much." (y/n) squeaked out. Hearing it out loud freaked her out even more.

"Okay then." After mulling over the facts for a couple of seconds, Charlotte took off, grabbed her backpack and walked to the tube area.

"Up the tube." She said, leaving her confused friends staring at the space where she used to be stood.

"So, she's gone." Henry looked at the adults.

"Traitor. Now the creature's only got four people to gobble--" (y/n) was cut off as the creature squeaked.

"Oh, I hear it," Ray said and they all looked up at the ceiling.

"Gooch, turn off all non-essential equipment," Ray said to the man, as he gripped his laser in preparation. Gooch shut down all the unnecessary gadgets in the Man Cave, meaning the headquarters feel silent. It also meant that he had killed the lights, terrifying (y/n).

"NOT THE LIGHTS, NOT THE LIGHTS, NOT THE LIGHTS!" She screeched, clinging to Ray even harder so he found it hard to breathe.

"Oh my god, something's squeezing my leg." Ray said, but (y/n) still had her eyes shut.

"And Henry's gone!" Gooch cried, turning the lights back on, only to see Henry hugging his boss's leg beneath (y/n). He shook him off in disgust.

"All right, this is stupid. I can only deal with one scared person on me at a time." He looked at Henry with a glare.

"We don't need to be afraid." He continued, causing (y/n) to hit him on his head.

"Easy for you to say, super density boy." She said, into his ear. Her warm breath on his neck made his hair stand on end, and he was suddenly aware of how her entire body was pressed against him.

"Yeah, you're indestructible. No creature's gonna hurt you." Henry agreed with her.

"Oh yeah, what happens if it crawls up my leg? I don't need some alien thing all up in there." (y/n) went wide-eyed at his words and stared at his neck as she wrangled with her filthy mind.

"So, what do we do?" Henry asked.

"I think if we just calmly search the Man Cave--" Ray started, but then the creature started squeaking again, sending them all into a panic. They sprinted all over the Man Cave looking for somewhere to hide. Ray rushed over to the tube area with (y/n) still clamped to his back. Henry joined them and they hurriedly hit their belt buckles.

"UP THE TUBE!" They screamed, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

However, unknown to all of them, the creature had made its way across the floor and slithered into Henry's bag.

~Later that afternoon~

"Uh, huh, yeah, she's here at my house," Henry said to (y/n) over the phone.

"(y/n) wants to know why you're not at work," Henry said, leaning over the counter at Charlotte, who was busy typing away on her pink PearBook.

"I'm not going back there until somebody catches that creature and gets rid of it." She told him, shivering at the thought of the slimy alien.

"Don't you wanna see it?" Henry asked her, thinking that seeing an actual alien would be cool.

"Yeah, I wanna see it. I wanna see it dead." The dark-haired girl sassed.

"She says she's not coming back to work until we can find the..." Henry looked over at his sister, making sure she was still giggling at her PearPad on the couch.

"You know what. Yeah. She is crazy." He agreed with (y/n).

"I heard that." Charlotte retorted, not looking away from her screen.

"Hey, I left my backpack down in the..." Henry started, but (y/n) already knew the answer.

"Oh, Gooch dropped it off? Hey, Piper." He shouted across the room, the phone against his chest.

"What?" She shouted back.

"Did a guy I work with drop off my backpack here?" He asked her, ignoring her rude tone.

"Yeah, Mom has it. Stop bothering me." She snapped and put her earphones back in.

"Yeah, I got it, thanks. Okay, later." He said goodbye and hung up.

"So, did you--did you find anything out about the space rock or egg or whatever?" He whispered to Charlotte.

"Yeah, and I'm worried." She replied in concern.

"About?" Henry asked as he munched on a chicken leg.

"What if that was just the first alien space rock egg? What if more come and then the aliens take over the Earth and use us, humans, as food?" Henry didn't take Charlotte to be a conspiracy theorist, believing that she had always been a girl of facts and evidence.

"That will never happen." He laughed at her.

"Why not?"

"'Cause... if they're aliens who travelled here, that means they have to be highly intelligent. And highly intelligent creatures wouldn't eat other living creatures." He said, thinking his logic was perfect. He began to tear the meat off the leg in an animalistic way.

"Wouldn't they?" Charlotte looked at him with a questioning gaze. Henry looked up and realised what he was doing, causing him to drop the bird's leg.

"Oh my god." He said with a mouthful of chicken, Charlotte's theory making more sense now.

"Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm the golden boy!" Jasper burst through the door, his arms raised in celebration of something. On the couch, Piper began to smirk to herself.

"Showtime." She gloated with a flick of her blonde hair.

"What are you all pumped up about?" Henry asked his best friend, as he wandered over to the couch.

"Yeah, Jasper, what's up?" Piper interjected in a sickly sweet voice.

You guys know my latest bucket podcast?" Jasper looked at them all excitedly.

"Yeah?"

"A hundred thousand and seven downloads." Jasper bragged, making his friends gasp in shock. However, Piper just smirked to herself, glad to see that her plan was working. 

"That many people downloaded your new podcast?" Henry looked at him in disbelief.

"Yes, sir." The curly-haired boy had a proud look on his face.

"And what's the most you've ever gotten before?" Henry quizzed him.

"Seven," Jasper told them the tiny figure.

"Wow, that's really great. I bet this success makes you feel so much better about yourself as a person. Pieper smiled at him, making Henry and Charlotte suspicious. That girl was never nice to anyone.

"It does. Later, I'm gonna go to my Grandmother's house and say "Hey, Grandma, who's useless now?"" Jasper told her.

"Good for you, Jasp." Henry smiled at his friend. 

"Thanks. Hey, can I go up to your room and record a special message for my fans?" He looked at Henry.

"Sure."

"Thanks." Jasper ran off up the stairs, leaving Henry and Charlotte alone with Piper.

"Way to go, Jasper. You're a rock star. HA!" The little girl called after him.

"She did something." Charlotte looked at Henry, who knew she was correct.

"Piper..." He looked annoyed at his sister.

"Yeah?" She started in a cute and innocent voice.

"What did you do?" He asked her.

"Okay. Okay. I went on a website and for ten bucks I bought Jasper 100,000 fake downloads." She told them her cruel plan.

"Well, why would you do that?" Henry asked her, wondering why she was so mean.

"To get him all happy and excited so later I can crush him." She told him, infuriating Henry.

"Okay, that's a really mean thing to--" Henry was cut off by his mother screaming from the laundry room. She came running into the sitting room; panic was written all over her face.

"Where's the bug spray? I need the bug spray and a baseball bat." She yelled at her children, sprinting to search the cupboards.

"Mom, mom, mom. What's wrong?" Henry asked her.

"I... I was downstairs in the basement washing your backpack because it was all sticky inside--Oh, hi Charlotte. And there was this bug or maybe it was a rat, whatever it was it jumped on me and landed on my shoulder." She ranted, letting Henry look at the purple goo on her shoulder. He instantly recognised it and felt a sense of dread settle in his stomach.

"Uh-oh." Charlotte shook her head at him, as Mrs Hart screamed.

"I got to go next door and borrow some bug spray and maybe a shotgun." She said and she briskly walked to the front door. 

"My backpack. The creature must've crawled inside my backpack at work." Henry said to Charlotte in horror.

"And now, it's here." She replied.

"What are you guys talking about?" Piper yelled from the couch.

"Nothing," Henery shouted back.

"You're nothing." His sister snapped back.

"We gotta find that creature. Come down to the basement with me." Henry whispered to Charlotte, who wanted nothing to do with it.

"I got a better idea," She whispered back.

"What?" Charlotte ran away from Henry and out of his house in fear.

"So, she's gone." He said to himself.

~

"Oh, honey will you get down from there?" Mr Hart said to his wife, as the whole family assembled in the living room to fight the bug/creature/alien. 

"I'll come down after you show me its dead, lifeless body!" Mrs Hart exclaimed, waving the plunger around in her hand.

"Why are you so scared of a bug?" Her husband asked, kitted out in full extermination gear. 

"It's not just a bug. It's a huge, icky creature thing." She whined.

"Ladies be crazy." Henry's dad said to him.

"Ehhh, sometimes ladies be making sense," Henry said, knowing that it wasn't a bug they were facing.

"Just go kill it!" His mom hissed at his dad, who held his hands up in surrender.

"All right, I'm going. Two x chromosomes." HE ranted, stomping off to the basement. Henry checked his watch and decided that it was a good time to call Ray. Kneeling behind the kitchen counter, he flicked open his whiz watch.

"Ray, Ray..." he said, as the man appeared over the watch, (y/n) still closely behind him, even though she was on her own feet now.

"Hey Henry, I can't talk. We're still looking for the creature." He told the kid, as (y/n) looked around with her blaster.

"Yeah, I don't think you're gonna find it." He said, grabbing the woman's attention.

"Why not?" Ray asked perplexed.

"Because it's in my house." Henry hissed, and the two friends stared at him with bugged-out eyes. 

"Sweet cheese, what did he say?!" (y/n) yelled, grabbing Ray's arm and lowering her weapon.

"Gooch dropped my backpack off here and I guess it was inside." The boy explained.

"Did you see the creature?" Ray asked him.

"No, but it jumped on my mom," Henry replied.

"Oh God, is she okay?" (y/n) said with worry in her voice.

"Yeah, she's all right." The teen nodded at her, making Ray smirk.

"She is one fine-looking woman." He purred in a sing-song voice, (y/n)'s heart sinking when he said that. 'Another one he likes.' She thought miserably to herself.

"Ray, will you just--" Henry lectured his boss in disgust, but his dad raced up the stairs and back into the sitting room, screaming. 

"What? What happened? Did you see the bug?" Mrs Hart said, trembling in disgust.

"Yep!" Mr Hart confirmed.

"Well, did you kill it?" She asked, sounding hopeful.

"Nope!" 

"You better get over here." Henry looked back at the hologram, closing his watch and going over to his parents.

~In the Man Cave~

"Right, it's time for Captain Man to fight some alien scum." Ray looked at (y/n) and took out his gum tube.

"And (y/n) too." She appended as she walked past him.

"Yeah... wait, what?" He looked at her like she was mad, while she pulled an old boiler suit from a storage box.

"I'm coming with you." She said in a cheerful voice, sliding the suit up her legs and over her clothes. She zipped it up to the top and wrapped a utility belt around her waist.

"Hahaha, no, you're not. I want you here, where it's safe." He looked at her, the gumball still in his hand.

"Firstly, you can't boss me around like Henry. Secondly, we both know that you're a terrible shot. And thirdly, I want to see this bitch alien dead on the floor with a hole in its face from my gun." She sassed Ray as she snipped her weapon to her belt. She seized some goggles and put them over her eyes, hoping that Henry's family wouldn't look at her too closely and work out who she was. Finally, she slicked back her hair and flipped the suit's hood over her head, so she looked like a proper exterminator.

"This isn't another escapade with Jeff. This is a genuine alien from outer space." Ray just watched as she got dressed and put the gum in his mouth.

"I don't want to see you get hurt." She said in a small voice, fiddling with the strap on her belt. Ray blew his bubble and transformed into his super suit and then looked at her.

"Captain Man never gets hurt." He said offering her a gloved hand, which she delicately accepted. He pulled her to the tube with a smile. 

"Up the tube!" (y/n) shouted in a pleasant voice, glad she was actually doing something useful. Ray simply looked at her, happy that he was the one who made her smile.

~Henry's house~

"Where's the exterminator?" Mrs Hart asked in terror.

"Henry, just go down to the basement and kill that thing." Mr Hart looked at his eldest child.

"Oh, you're gonna send me down there?" Henry yelled at his dad, not believing that he wanted him to go down there alone.

"Are you crazy? We are not sending our son to do battle with some dangerous, freaky rat-bug." His mom stuck up for him.

"You're right. Piper! Mommy and Daddy have something for you to do!" Mr Hart had no issues sending Piper down there. The doorbell rang and Henry ran to answer it, his broom still in his hand. Stood there was Captain Man and (y/n) disguised as someone from pest control, much to the kid's surprise. Ray was expected, but (y/n)? Well, seeing her outside the Man Cave was a rare sight.

"Hi." They said together. Henry looked at them both weirdly.

"Hey what are you two---"

"Just play along." (y/n) said to him.

"Hello, citizens of Swellview." Ray stepped into the house with his usual Captain Man confidence.

"Oh my god, it's Captain Man."

"In our house." Henry's parents looked at him in amazement.

"And I'm Exterminator Phalange, Swelllview Pest Control." (y/n) tried to copy his confidence, but it didn't come as naturally to her as it did Ray.

"What are you doing here?" Mrs Hart said, still in awe of Captain Man.

"Well, sometimes I go around to various neighbourhoods in Swellview taking surveys." Ray made up on the spot.

"Surveys?" Mr Hart asked in confusion.

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that on the news." Henry played along.

"You guys mind taking a survey?" Ray looked at his sidekick's parents.

"Not at all."

"Go ahead." They both agreed, wanting to do anything for Captain Man.

"Great! Question one, how often do you participate in surveys? A, often, B, rarely, or C, this is my first survey" Ray started. (y/n) took the opportunity to scan the room, looking for any trace of the alien.

"I think this is our first survey." 

"I think it is." Were the answers Mr and Mrs Hart gave.

"Uh, Captain Man?" Henry looked at his bosses.

"Yes, boy?" The superhero looked to Henry. 

"Since you just happen to be here, maybe you can help us out with a problem?" He suggested.

"Problem?" Ray looked at his parents.

"Yeah. We got a big scary bug in our basement." Mrs Hart told Ray.

"A scary bug, huh?" Ray looked at (y/n).

"Well, what do you say Exterminator Phalange and I take these down to your basement and teach that bug some manners?" They both pulled out their guns and showed them to the family.

"That sound good to you, pretty lady?" (y/n) looked off to the side, her jealousy trying to take over, but like usual she beat it back down. 

"It does." Mrs Hart smiled back and the 'exterminator' closed her eyes to block out their flirting.

"Yeah, it does." 'Just friends, just breathe. Just friends, just breathe.' She repeated her mantra in her head, something she had been doing from the moment she fell in love with him.

"So, good luck, Captain Man and Exterminator Phalange." Henry broke through Ray's daydreaming and (y/n)'s monologue.

"Right." Ray hit Henry on the chest and he and (y/n) ran off to the basement, intent on locating the alien. They edged down the stairs, fingers glued to their triggers.

"Do you see anything?" He whispered to her, as she looked around.

"Not yet, do you--OH MY GOD IT"S THERE!" She shouted up at the ceiling and fired her gun at the creature. Ray soon saw where it was too and began to shoot at it, even though his aim was really, really bad. 

"Eat laser, slime beast!" He yelled, his thumping around being heard by the family upstairs.

"You picked the wrong planet to hatch on!! I got you!!" (y/n) yelled too, trying to shoot the alien, but it was quick and slippery. Their lasers began to melt through the ceiling, shocking the family below them onto the couch.

"Oh my god, you're not dead!" She howled when the thing kept wriggling. The creature plummeted from above and onto Ray's leg. It sunk its fangs into him, as (y/n) looked on in fright, not know whether to shoot at it or not.

"NO, don't bite me there! Shoot the damn thing, (y/n)!" Fumbling with her weapon, the woman fired it at Ray's leg, only for the creature to jump off before it could be hit. The beam hit Ray's leg and he clutched it in pain.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry." She ran over to him, but he recovered speedily. After all, he was Captain Man. However, due to his brief injury, they hadn't noticed where the alien had squirmed.

"Where'd the creature go?" Ray said, glancing around the basement.

"Shit, it must have sloped off upstairs after I shot you." She looked at him through her goggles and pointed at a vent in the wall. They sprinted back up into the living room, where Henry's expectant family were waiting.

"Hey." Ray nodded at them after they had both caught their breath.

"Hi." Mrs Hart said, relishing that Captain Man was battling the bug for her, but Mr Hart and Henry weren't so dazzled.

"What happened?" 

"Did you kill the creature thing?" Henry asked them.

"Almost." Ray sought to comfort them.

"Did you guys see it crawl up here?" (y/n) asked, looking around for any purple ooze.

"Up here?"

"What?" 

"You lost it?" The Hart family yelled at them, looking around their feet.

"No, no. But it crawled into your air conditioning vent." Captain Man told them and they all looked up at the ceiling, wondering where the alien was now.

"We think it might be headed up to the roof. You guys wait here." (y/n) instructed them, as she and Ray opened the door.

"Captain Man?" Mrs Hart suddenly called out.

"Yes?" Ray quickly leaned back in the door and (y/n) rolled her eyes.

"After you kill the thing, are we going to finish the survey?" She said to him innocently.

"Oh yeah." He sauntered back in, and (y/n) let out a groan.

"We don't have time for this." She looked at Henry, hoping he'd get him to stop flirting.

"Will you go kill it?" Henry yelled at Ray. He'd always have her back when Ray was being an oblivious idiot.

"Right." The superhero rushed after (y/n) and they circled the house, looking for a way to get up high.

"Hey, what about that tree?" The young woman showed him, and he nodded along at her suggestion. 

"I like your thinking." They clipped their guns to their belts and Ray took the first steps up. Turning back around, he grasped (y/n)'s hands and helped her up the tree, until they were at the window in Henry's bedroom. They peered in and saw Jasper and Piper doing a podcast. Tapping Ray's chest, (y/n) pointed out that the vent gate on Henry's wall was moving and to their horror, they saw the bug-creature thing squirming out.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Ray stepped onto the window ledge and opened the window, shocking the kids in the bedroom. 

"Captain Man?"

"What the..." They both asked in surprise, as Ray and his helper unhooked their weapons and pointed them at the bug.

"No time for questions!" Ray yelled.

"DIE, ALIEN SCUM!" (y/n) screamed too, as they began to fire at the creature, breaking some of Henry's stuff and leaving a lot of laser burns on his wall.

"What's happening?" Piper shrieked as the wall plaster began to fall from the roof. 

"AHA! TAKE THAT, YOU FILTH!!" (y/n) cried when she finally landed a hit on the alien. Sadly, the blast wasn't enough to kill it.

"What are you shooting at?" Jasper said over the noise.

"An alien!" Captain Man shouted back, as the two climbed the steps in Henry's room. For a couple seconds, they ceased their fire, scanning the wall where the alien had been. As the dust began to settle, they looked down to see that it had fallen onto Piper's face. (y/n) have Ray a look as if to say, 'oh shit'. 

"Oh my god!" Jasper yelled when he saw it.

"The creature!" Ray joined in. Raising her hand to her cheek, Piper let out a shriek when she felt the thing on her face. She ran to the door, wanting her mother to help her.

"Get it!" (y/n) followed after her with Ray hot on her heels.

"It's on my face, it's on my face, it's on my face, it's on my face, it's on my face..." Piper kept yelling as she ran down from Henry's room and out of the front door.

"Everything's under control!" Ray said, a few steps behind his helper.

"Little girl! Let me shoot your face!" The young woman shouted after Piper. The family watched in alarm and disbelief.

"She'll probably just shoot it off her face," Henry said to his parents in an attempt to calm them down. 

"Stop running!" Captain Man kept barking, as Piper slowed down. 'Exterminator Phalange' aimed and fired her gun several times, as Ray finally caught up to her. Their lasers caused the creature to jump off Piper's face and onto the grass, giving (y/n) the opportunity to shoot it again.

"I got you!" She snarled at the alien, as it rolled over into the shrubbery. Ray put an arm around Piper and guided her back into the house. Her hair was like a bird's nest and her clothing was in disarray. 

"Well, the creature chewed her cheek up a little, but she's okay." Ray smiled at the family, even though the little girl looked traumatised.

"I AM NOT OKAY!" She screamed.

"Oh, Piper, don't be a drama queen." Mrs Hart chastised her as she fussed at her daughter.

"What about the creature? Did you kill it?" Henry asked Ray, but (y/n) stepped in front of him.

"He didn't. He can't shoot something to save his life, but this hot mama right here, shot and killed the thing and it rolled under a bush to die." She smirked at Henry, who smiled at her too. Even Ray felt impressed, but he always admired her, thinking that she was leagues above him, both in skills and beauty.

"I don't think that creature will bother anyone ever again." Captain Man said to his sidekick, as he, (y/n) and the family breathed a sigh of relief.

[imagine-knb]

Scenario of when two of your faves Use a Ouija board Asked by Admin Jade!

Everyone say hi to Admin Jade! ヾ(＾∇＾) Thanks for the request, I had so much fun with this one! Admin Neon

Crouching low inside of the hallway closet, Kasamatsu held his breath as he heard the shuffling feet outside. Whatever it was walked past his position, footsteps fading into the distance as the apparition continued to search for any living creature it could find. He counted the seconds – ten, twenty, thirty – before he attempted to switch on his flashlight.

It was dim, but at least it wasn't flickering anymore.

As he moved out of his crouched position, the walkie talkie attached to him made a static sound before a voice came through.

"Whew, that was a close one!" Takao exclaimed, voice garbled slightly by the static. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah," Kasamatsu responded, slowly opening the closet door he was hiding behind. He peeked around the edge before stepping outside. "Whatever it is walked past me. I think it's coming from the front hallway."

"It's always the foyer," Takao's voice sighed through the walkie.

Kasamatsu began walking through the empty hallway, shuffling his way through the side entrance that lead to the bedrooms. His flashlight was barely illuminating the path in front of him and he had half a mind to pull out a glowstick instead – they were brighter. Instead, he pulled out the small EMF reader, watching as the lights did nothing in response to his environment.

"How are we on clues?" he asked, entering what appeared to be a child's room. "Kise? What's the temperature at?"

He waited a full minute for a response, but when none came a curse left Kasamatsu's lips. The lack of an answer could only mean one thing: Kise was dead, which left only Takao and himself as the only survivors. Kasamatsu would have to be smarter if he was going to survive.

As Kasamatsu exited the child's room to explore the remaining doorways, he heard more static from his walkie. "Oh, cool, I found a Ouija board in the basement."

"Ask the ghost where it is," Kasamatsu instructed, pausing momentarily as a picture frame on a nearby cabinet was thrown to the ground. He wondered if it was their ghost.

Or maybe it was Kise fucking with him.

Kasamatsu began walking in the direction of the basement. As he got closer, he could start to make out Takao's voice without the use of his walkie talkie. It was muffled, but he could vaguely make out the words, "Where are you?"

"Oh shit, you were right, it is in the hallway," Takao confirmed once he'd received an answer.

Despite the fact Takao couldn't see him, Kasamatsu nodded in response – he was getting good at finding the ghosts' favorite rooms. "I'll start setting up then," he answered, turning around to head back for the van. Getting some cameras up and running would aid them in their tasks.

As he began walking back, he heard Takao's muffled voice say, "Oh, one of my viewers wants me to try something." Takao paused for a moment and Kasamatsu imagined him stepping close to the Ouija board once more. "Hide and seek."

"Wait, Takao, no–" But Kasamatsu was cut off by the sudden flickering of lights and a low groan. He looked ahead of him and saw a hulking figure carrying an axe walking straight toward him, the ghost's eyes already locked onto its next victim. It seemed to speed up the moment it saw him. "Fuck!"

He turned tail and ran toward the garage, hoping that against all odds, he could manage to loop the ghost around the car inside and get somewhere to safety. He'd be damned if he died now and lost all the items he'd queued up for the round.

As the ghost gained on him, one thought entered Kasamatsu's mind: he should've brought a lighter and smudge stick.

[guardian-rocket]

For Christmas, Scott got Rocket a flashdrive with loads more songs to add to the Zune, from 70s to 2000s, and lots of random odd-end tech parts in excellent condition he can use for whatever purpose his heart desires.

"Oh man, this is a great Christmas gift," Rocket said excitedly, looking curiously at the flashdrive as Scott explained what was on it. The ability to switch the music around on the Zune would mean all the more chances to discover great new musical acts that he might fall in love with.

The parts were great too, in truth something he was always hunting for too and the stuff Scott gave him wasn't the typical banged up scrap he usually had to work with.

Rocket pulled a box out from under the inflatable Christmas tree that Mantis and Drax previously stole from a store on Earth. At first glance it looked like it was wrapped traditionally with red and gold paper, but the box had been wrapped so that the paper was over all parts of the cardboard and not actually taped shut.

"This one's for you, Puppy," Rocket said as he handed him the box.

There were two items in the box. A pair of gravity boots like the pair he was lent during their mission in the Quarantine Zone, that had Scott's last name embroidered on the bootstraps in Earth's plain English and a device that looked like some high-tech walkie talkie. Before he could ask about it Rocket put his hands up and said, "I know that I can be a bit hard to get ahold of, being in space and all. This thing is simple enough, you talk into it while holding the button on top and it transmits me a recording, and it can receive them too, from me, since I got the other one. It only goes the two ways, so it's secure. If the the display is red, it means there's a recording, and you just press the side button to play. It does play the live feed when the recording goes through, and it'll save it until a new message goes through. I figure this way you can reach out if you ever need a favor or ... you know... wanna hang out?"

It wasn't as if Rocket planned to keep his device on him at all times but at least this way Scott and him could have an easier time keeping in touch.

[werdlewrites]

masterlist- ao3 - twitter @ djomamma

share support through likes, comments and reblogs. Or through my kofi!

summary: The girl seems to still - frozen like a photograph and for a moment Autumn thinks she too will vanish into nothing. But her focus begins to turn, eyes wide and full of fear as if something else lingered just out of Autumn’s sight. She follows suit, finding only emptiness and turning back towards the girl slowly pushing herself up onto two shaken legs. She’s not looking into the beyond - the mystery. She stands with shoulders relaxed yet fists at her sides, unfurling before tightening again, uncertain of where to place her emotions as they run rampant. It’s as if…she sees. warnings: DEATH, blood, mentions of smoking? wc: 3,134

Time moves in a blur. Feet had stormed their way through the shell of her home, spare suitcases in hand and messily filled until the zippers struggled to remain intact. The seams bursting and she continues to push more inside - anything she’s willing to take, removing herself from this desolate place and letting it rot from the inside out. A tear-stained face is full of determination, carelessly carrying luggage down the stairs before tossing it into the trunk of her jeep. She takes the food, too. All gathered up in a pillowcase that was stripped from her father's bed. Hopper had done what he could with what little they had to work with. But with power now switched on at the little cabin tucked away inside of nowhere, Autumn knew she could do better. Her foot lays heavily against the pedal - nearly blowing stop signs in desperation to gain distance from the memory built in wood and stone. The girl nearly misses her entry point into the woods - not carved out for wanderers, leaving the fortress too difficult to find. It all looks the same behind the dirtied glass - saying a small prayer that she was driving over her unseen tracks, back towards the only place she found security within.

That was hours ago. She had dragged all that she could inside the dimly lit structure, organizing the food and pans haphazardly inside now-clean cupboards. Time alone had given her more than enough opportunity to scrub this place from top to bottom, receiving a bewildered “thank you” from Hopper as he stood in the doorway just the night before. But he’s gone again, and the sun was now setting. He was doing all he could to avoid suspicion - keep attention far from him as he disappeared into the woods. But it wasn’t for his sake, more for hers. He would call her on the walkie just to check in, and she spoke without much thought as she dissociated - body acting on autopilot with words forgotten the moment he said “Goodbye.” She's pushing it all out. Pushing things aside and allowing the hunger for relief to spur her on. The pot of noodles boils and the sauce is made from scratch - herbs cut finely to blend in as she layers ingredients together in a dish certainly not meant for lasagna, but makes do with what they have. It cooks and she organizes her new life, frustrated with the lack of space - the lack of…life and color. She’s sweating by the time dinner is done and is set out to cool over the stovetop. Her little treasures are pulled out to place on the windowsill, books stacked on the nearly broken table before letting the cramped space stamp out the flicker of a fire. Building herself back up from scratch seemed hopeless, and she grew tired of the fight. All she had ever known was buried inside suitcases - packed up, uprooted by force at the edge of seventeen.

Abandoned.

Forgotten.

And if she were truly on her own now, where had a once loving father gone? Had he taken on a new life or returned to an old one, leaving his prodigy behind in the wreckage of heartache? Maybe it's all a mistake - but something compels Autumn to look beyond the small space, and towards the untouched attic that remains exposed - no walls to hide away the shadows and cobwebs. The girl takes hesitant steps up the rickety ladder, finding property left behind to wear down as nature swept through the cracks. But despite the eerie feeling of moving through the ghosts of someone else's life, it held a certain comfort - and she decided to make do. Bundled-up socks hang in a tight grip, their contents rattling as she moves. Her pockets are carefully stuffed with incense and a lighter she discovered in the depths of her bag before she makes the climb once more. It’s not what she’s used to - lighting the scented wood to leave a gentle stream of smoke that fills her lungs. The socks are emptied - sending stones and crystals to tumble and scatter in disorder, and among the few, Amethyst. Autumn finds it cruel - nearly laughable as the universe urges the stone to lay the closest at her feet. The unseen speaking through suggestion that she needed peace and divine energy. The girl takes the hint, plucking it from the planks to rest between clasped hands. “Okay,” she says under an unsteady breath - trembling at the thought of what she may find if anything at all. “Show yourself,”

She’s locked in darkness as her eyes fall shut, the edges of the stone pressed deep enough to indent her skin. Smoke fills her with every deep breath - spilling out with a relaxing exhale as she pushes herself further. The cold air begins to lessen, and the roughness of the wood beneath her seems to fade. It’s almost a numbing sensation - a feeling of floating in nothingness as something earthy yet sweet begins to cocoon her. A guiding hand as it caresses her cheek, soothing the girl until the burden of sleep begins to weigh her down. Her head lolls back with her torso following after, yet caught in its soothing grip and laid out with care in the blackness. She can feel the rustle of worn fibers beneath her as they give way, yet cannot feel the rough texture assaulting her skin. Aching eyes are pried open to stare out at the nothingness - waiting for a sign to say she had made it through, and that she simply wasn’t stuck in this in-between. It comes within seconds. Attention is pulled across the way as a lamp comes to life with the pull of its chain, illuminating sleep-deprived eyes and a look of annoyance in his expression. Rest was a long-forgotten friend even as he attempted to lay in the stillness, a hopeful prayer on his lips that they may reunite once more. Legs pull towards the edge of the bed, dragging blankets as he moves until he’s up on two feet, passing by the light that shines down on a glass ashtray with a half-smoked cigarette. In all of her lifetime…Autumn had believed she was the only one with this foul trait — a killer of the mind and body, which he so passionately discouraged.

She’s up on her own, watching as his body carries the glow of the light, leaving his bed behind so he may answer a late-night call that doesn’t quite reach her ears. The ring seems miles away, a mere echo to her and his voice is no different. Muffled and drowned out as if she had been at the bottom of the ocean, but she can see the way he shifts from near sleep, to lively and angered. His brows pull close together and he begins to pace, receiver glued to his ear. But his picture is fading - flickering like static with the signal interrupted. Gone one second, and there the next just across the room as the call ends with the slam of his fist. “Dad?” Autumn calls voice nearly failing with fragility. He doesn’t acknowledge her - not that she expects it. She’s only a ghost to him, maybe even less than that as the connection becomes more distorted, shadows creeping in to plummet her back into the dark. “Wait!” It’s all for nothing and she knows it - sprinting towards the empty space where he had once been, desperate for a glimmer of something, and left just as hopeless as she once had been. The girl remains defeated and stuck within the unknown, unable to grasp onto the ties of reality to pull herself up from the pits of hell. She lingers in the pain of knowing he was very much alive, and seemingly uninterested in her whereabouts. She couldn’t recognize the lamp at the bedside or the deep green sheets. Autumn couldn’t recognize him.

Something brings microscopic hairs to stand on end, goosebumps dancing across her skin. There’s a sudden sickening feeling…something she’s all too familiar with in this space. It lingers in the shadows, before bearing its teeth to consume the unsuspecting prey. The same thing that cries out in the furthest reaches of her mind - angry, hungry, and hurting. But it never comes - not the demons call, or the looming threat as it closes in. She remains…alone. Or was she? There’s something at her back - the faint sound of a sniffle, clear unlike her father as he argues over the phone. There’s hesitation as she follows after the noise with the turn of her head - always expecting a trick - a trap. But in the distance, a small child huddles up against the base of a tree, pink dress tattered and dirtied but like a beacon of light in this void. A young face stained with sadness, her muddy palm running across the underside of her nose. She was lost - it was evident in the way the earth sunk deep into thin fabric and scuffed the bottoms of her shoes. Autumn wonders the meaning behind their connection - why a stranger? Was she calling out in desperation to be seen by someone? Anyone. Pulling in another lost soul to feel a little less alone. Or was she trapped, like Will? Taken from her bed and held prisoner in the Upside Down - legs now tired from the run and seeking some form of shelter.

The girl seems to still - frozen like a photograph and for a moment Autumn thinks she too will vanish into nothing. But her focus begins to turn, eyes wide and full of fear as if something else lingered just out of Autumn’s sight. She follows suit, finding only emptiness and turning back towards the girl slowly pushing herself up onto two shaken legs. She’s not looking into the beyond - the mystery. She stands with shoulders relaxed yet fists at her sides, unfurling before tightening again, uncertain of where to place her emotions as they run rampant. It’s as if…she sees. She contemplates if this girl had fallen victim to evil hands - long dead and drifting through purgatory for a final judgment of her fate. But puppy-like eyes seem equally surprised to find someone else here. Her chest begins to swell with questions left unheard, held back by the barricade between them. And then...light. It washes in with grace and ease. A gentle glow off to the side as it fights back the darkness with every second, leaving the pair to squint as it soon becomes blinding. Autumn spares an uncertain glance towards the child, and the unnamed mimics her action before all attention is back on the scenery ahead. The light devours her nightmares, swallowing them up until she’s left to stand on an empty road paved with gravel. Though, she’s not entirely alone.

The blue car sits beneath the shade from the afternoon sun. Engine left unattended for so long it had cooled, and rusted. But the exterior shines with beauty, specks of light breaking through heavy foliage to kiss the surface - the only love it could know as it sits unoccupied. She looks to find that her only companion is gone - summoned away to wade through her own troubles. Autumn remembers this place. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary from the many visits before. Though this time, she could work her way toward the car, rather than be held back by some invisible thing. Her steps were slow and hesitant. The crunch and roll of every pebble beneath her weight was all too painfully loud, as the wind had died and no birds sang their loving songs. She had finally been given the chance to peer inside - the interior familiar as the sight of small legs kicking outwards from the back played out in her mind. A faceless man would grab at the tiny foot all in fun, before releasing the child from her hold. Though now, it seemed eerily pristine - as if no one had been inside. She thinks of the girl and how she managed to get this far. Had it always been her? Had she seen it all through her eyes? Fighting amongst children and standing small beneath “Papa’s” shadow. A simple joy ride with her peers or even parents as they play along with her games.

Autumn’s hands are cupped over the glass, peering in and desperate for any sign of life, yet there’s something on the outside to pull her away. It’s curious - whatever it is. Buried beneath the brush off to the side - something secret and tucked away with purpose. By the time she’s made it around the car, she’s beginning to regret the choice of succumbing to her curiosities. The more she uncovers with each step, is more of a defined shape. Soft curves in white - nothing conclusive, yet enough to give her pause at the tree line. The leaves are speckled with brilliant crimson - still fresh as they threatened to stain her skin with a gust of wind. She stares longer. Harder. Her body is so frigid she forgets to breathe as the picture before it morphs into…someone. Autumn stares at the back of a woman in white - blood spilling down the fabric and bare legs exposed by the rustle of branches. This stranger has been seen before - a glimmering smile and hand tainted with her blood as she offers out kindness. A kindness the girl would never know. A shaken breath gives her life once more, though stumbling as she immediately becomes lightheaded. In her panic, she tries to run. Her body collides and nearly topples over from the collision of the car, hands desperately reaching out for its support as she pulls her numb body along. She fumbles and trips over her own feet once she’s in free space, chest heaving with fingers clutching at the fabric of her shirt. She needed more room on this open road - the distance she added was never enough until the car was a few yards away. And more importantly, the lifeless woman was once again concealed to give a fragile heart the smallest moment of peace.

She remains shaken. She tugs at her layered top to fan away the heat climbing through her chest and into her throat. She wanted to vomit - to scream and cry as the woman's face flashed before her sight. A smile so bright now permanently gray and empty. A spirit ripped from its shell and cast out into the unknown. She had reached through the universe, if only to be seen one final time by the teenager, despite the panic it would bring. Her knees are weakened as the anguish crashes in, shaking her where she stands until she’s forced to kneel with a hand supported on her knee. Her eyes are glossed over with heavy tears, a pitiful whimper on her lips, watching as her sadness collects and darkens the rubble beneath her. Autumn is entangled in her sorrow, to the point she doesn’t hear the shoes that scuff along the path or the patterns of gentle breaths. She only sees two shadows creep into her sight, blending in with her own. The hurt is gone within the blink of an eye, replaced with something that stills a rapid heart with fright and curiosity.

Before she’s given the chance to speak - or to turn and face the intruders of her mind, she’s swept up. Strong arms slip beneath her with unapologetic force, ripping her backward for feet to kick and skid along the gravel. “No!” They’re moving fast - too fast to get a solid footing. But she thrashes against their hold, and they only grip tighter. “Let me go!” The beautiful blue car is growing further and further away - and the woman was left to be forgotten. “No! Please, please! Stop!”

“Autumn!”

She hears him somewhere. Muffled and echoing like another ghost traveling through the tangled wires of her psyche. She looks up at the duo - both men dressed in boring suits and faces distorted. No matter how hard she blinks, anything to give a picture of what her captors look like is blocked out. It refuses to give way - to give clarity, forever keeping them a mystery and almost alien-like. Nothing to resemble the man who called her name from the place beyond. But knowing he’s there stokes the raging fire - her movements more frantic in search of freedom. In search of him. “Hopper!” Autumn continues to tug and fight against them - kicking and screaming panicked nonsense until there’s a brief moment of stillness. She takes the opportunity to dig her feet down, flat against the rough ground to push herself up and out of their hold. They don't reach - not even the brush of fingertips searching for the girl as the shift in weight sends her tumbling forward. Falling forever into…emptiness. The world shatters apart and leaves a void before her, ready to swallow her whole and hold her prisoner in this place. Then suddenly…

Blue. It’s the color of Jim Hopper’s eyes - wide and full of fear. He’s found the cord to a ceiling light up in the attic, illuminating the girl and his ocean-colored eyes. Autumn felt numb, unable to register the frantic gasps for air until her body was pressed to his. “Jesus Christ,” he mutters into her hair. The officer’s grip is firm and she’s unable to feel the pain as he squeezes her tight, only understanding that she is locked in the man's trembling hold. His heart is racing against her own - thunderous and painful, struggling to find peace after watching the blood spill from her face. “Wha-what-?” He’s unable to ask, the question scrambled in his mind and swallowed down before it falls from his tongue. Autumn is limp in his arms, cheek resting against his shoulder with a hazy focus on the now burned-out incense - long sizzled out, and smokeless. The once shimmering purple stone had been cast aside in the chaos - split in two almost perfectly, something the crush of his steps could not accomplish. She knows what it all means - to see something meant to protect her mind and soul now cracked from looming danger. She can't bring herself to worry or stress over the threat - eyes heavy and body failing as the adrenaline fades out. Autumn lets the man support her as she’s grown exhausted, allowing a clouded gaze to fill with hallucinations of the dead.

[ultimatedreamer104]

I sat behind the dumpster eating a cosmic brownie as I thought about how long I'd be able to hide out here, I had everything I would need for a while, I was always prepared to get lost or have an emergency drill happen, I have everything I need in my backpack, I have food and rations that should last at least 2 weeks, extra sets of clothing, extra batteries for my phone, toothbrush, toothpaste, pencils, pens, radio, headphones, walkie-talkie, blanket, pillow, knife, compass, whistle, fire starter which includes matches and kindling, a physical map in case my phone dies, a gps, a few reading books, a couple water bottles, a knife sharpener, dictionary, deodorant, money. 'If I pase myself... I might be able to get pretty far...' I whisper as I crouched down to reevaluate the situation, a few hours ago we have left school taken a 30 minute bus drive to a local museum in our little town, Jake and Ricky were once again bullying me, at one point they pulled me aside and said it would just be better if I ran away so that nobody would ever have to deal with me again, so when I saw an opportunity I grabbed it, I slipped out the side door and now I'm here hiding behind the trash dumpster, thinking about what to do, first I decided to text my uncle I've been living with him for the last 15 years of my life, he's a pretty laid-back guy and a man of the land which is one of the reasons why I think he'll be okay with me doing this he knows I'm ready for this, we've had drills, I quickly texted him about the situation, you replied back quickly and said he fully supported my decision, he texted me that he'd be by to pick me up that I could grab some final things from my room a few minutes later my uncle arrived 'he must have spent to get here!' he smiled at me, once I got home I grabbed the last few things I would probably need I switched my already huge big backpack for a bigger one and made sure not to transfer any of my school books to it, I filled up a water flask and put it in the back grab my camera and a few other things I would need along with the rest of my money, I jog down the stairs in our little home and back into the living room where my uncle stood with a lunch " hay! I have this all packed for you" he said raising the lunch bag up "just for you, be safe out there kid, okay?" "Okay," I said hay, just.... try and be back in a couple weeks and not miss too much school, okay?" I chuckled at this, "right" I said then stepped outside the back door and started walking toward the forest, on to my next adventure, getting these jerks and big trouble (⁠✷⁠‿⁠✷⁠)

I sighed as I entered a gas station, I looked at my watch, 12:36 a.m... it's been 1 week 5 days since I left home, I'm now in Michigan, in a gas station, in the middle of nowhere... I walked through the aisles and picked up a few things, as I got to the cash register I saw the news on, "hey, could you turn that up?" "Yeah sure" said the clerk looking up from his phone in order to turn up the sound, and continue to go back to his phone, on the news was a report of a missing kid, 16 said to be 5'8, in 11th grade, dirty blonde hair, with blue green eyes. I chuckled a bit as I placed my items on the counter, "just these please," I said, the clerk looked up and nodded as he stood up, put his phone down, and rang my items up, and gave them to me in a little bag, "you did want a bag right?" I shrugged, "it's fine, thanks" the clerk nodded once again and sat back down "s'no problem, have a good one" "you too" I said as I walk out of the gas station and back onto the open road I smirked to myself,

1 week 3 days later...

I stood in the mail office with a few cards in my hands one had my uncle's address on it, it had a letter and a few pictures, the other two had Jake and Ricky's addresses on them, this point, almost 3 weeks in, but in case they hadn't, or they were bending the truth, here would be.... evidence as one might want to put it, oh yes, I was getting my revenge, and it's beautiful.

Thank you to my younger sister who spell checked this for me 😅😂

A cruel prank by your bullies leaves you separated from the rest of the class. Instead of finding your way back, you decide to “go missing” and let the consequences catch up to them.

[notruercolors]

“The Rise of The Archer”

Chapter 1 “Brewing Storm

            Abigail looked over at her alarm clock. 8:45pm. She got up out of bed abandoning her chemistry notes scattered across the room. She winced as she pulled out another curler that had more of her light brown hair stuck in it. She scrunched up her nose tossing the last roller on the floor. She pulled out the Seventeen magazine from her nightstand. “Yeah, right, sure. Put rollers in your hair to tame your curls. More like pulling out your hair.”

She grabbed the Seventeen magazine from her bed and put it under her arm. “I may as well just throw out this piece of shit. Clearly, they don’t know shit about curly hair.” She got up popping out her newest cassette She’s So Unusual by Cyndi Lauper out of the cassette player of her boombox and popped it back into its own box.

“Yo, Dustin, have you taken a shower yet? We have school tomorrow,” called out Abigail knocking on Dustin’s door. It was eerily quiet on the other side of the door.  “I’m coming in, you better be dressed.” She pushed open the door. The bed was still made and dark.

“Fuck. Mom’s going to kill me,” Abigail slammed the door shut.

She walked down the hallway to the living room. Then ran a hand through her brown curls before walking back to her room digging out a box from her closet finding a radio. She flipped it, turning the knob until she reached the frequency the Party always used.

Abigail held down the talk button. “Archer to Bard. You better get your ass home before I find you.” She watched the numbers switch several more times before she picked up the walkie talkie again.

Abigail pressed the talk button again. “Alright, enough bullshit. Dustin, you better answer me right now.”

Nothing. Abigail sighed, tossing the walkie talkie on the bed. She took a deep long breath. “I swear. Soon as mom and I allow you to stay out later on your own you start with this bullshit. Oh, I’m not a baby anymore. Pfft. I swear to God if I have to drive to the Wheelers and drag his ass home, I’m going to strangle him.” She rambled to herself as she walked down the hallway passing the sofa briskly.

            Abigail shrieked as Mews leapt out from under the sofa hissing swatted at her ankle before bolting down the hallway bouncing off the walls towards her mother’s room. Abigail grabbed her ankle where Mews had managed to scratch. “Fuck you too Mews!”

Just as she got the phone and started to dial the Wheelers number the door banged against the wall. Abigail slammed the phone back down and stalked into leaving you. She crossed her arms glaring at her brother. Dustin shrunk slightly in his sister's glare.

“Dustin Clarence Henderson. Do you know what fucking time it is? I went to tell you to take a shower to find an empty bed!” shouted Abigail. “Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack at sixteen?!”

            Dustin put his hands up in the air. “Sorry, we were playing a campaign. That curfew is totally lame. It’s so not far you get to stay out until 10pm.You aren’t going to tell mom, right?” he asked pausing for a second giving his sister the best puppy dog eyes he could muster “After all, I did you a solid when you snuck out to that party, I never told mom.”

            “Don’t start blackmailing me and stop with those puppy dog eyes,” Abigail frowned, taking a deep breath. “Fine, I won’t tell. But seriously Dusty, you nearly gave me a heart attack when I looked in your room to realize you weren’t there. You promise to radio me if you are late.”

            “I’m not a baby anymore. You and mom worry too much,” Dustin said but after seeing Abigail’s eyes looked even a bit teary, he looked down at his feet. “I know, I promise. I’m sorry. It was just a really cool campaign.”

            Abigail sighed walking over ruffling Dustin’s hair. “It’s okay bud. There’s some truth to what you are saying. You aren’t a baby, but you aren’t sixteen either. Mom lets me stay out late because I can drive now. When you can drive, if you aren’t stupid, I’m sure you will stay out late too. Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll make some hot chocolate and you can tell me all about it before bed. You ate, right?”

            “Yeah, we had pizza.” Dustin replied.

            “I won’t heat anything up then. Go shower or I’ll drink all the hot chocolate.”

            Abigail went to the kitchen boiling a kettle of water and pulling out two mugs then the hot cocoa mix. While she looked out the window overlooking the backyard into the forest a chill ran from her spine all the way to her neck causing her to rub her arms as she got goosebumps. She went over and checked the lock on the back door just to be safe. Of course, it was locked. She couldn’t help but chew on the inside of her lip furrowing her eyebrow slightly, seeing some movement in the pushes.

            “Abby, the kettle,” said Dustin, still shaking water out of his curls with a towel.

            Abby ran over and turned off the stove. She yelped after grabbing the kettle handle without grabbing the oven mitt. “Fuck!”

“That was stupid. Even I know not to grab a hot kettle without a mitt.” Dustin still went over concerned, taking a glance at Abby's hand. It was only slightly red.

“Not that smartest choice I’ve made,” Abby rolled her eyes grabbing the mitt this time before pouring the water into the mugs.

            After settling on the sofa Dustin began to recount the entire campaign with dramatic expressions. Abby just smiled listening to him ramble on about the campaign.

            “Right at the end Mrs. Wheeler yelled down for us to go home. The dice flew across the room. Will, Lucas and I were crawling all over the room looking for the dice. Finally, Will found it. He rolled a 7, which would have been bad if Mike saw, but thankfully he didn’t otherwise the demogorgon would have killed him. The party is so fucked without Will.”

            “It sounds like a great game,” Abby said with a smile “but it’s ten and we both have school tomorrow and if mom gets home before we are in bed, she might be worse than a demogorgon.”

            “Hey, Abby…” Dustin said as Abby collected the mugs and started to turn off the lights.

            “Yeah.”

            “Why don’t you play anymore?” Dustin looked over at Abby with pleading eyes.

            “Well, if you ever needed my character for a special campaign maybe I would come for one, but just one. It can’t be during soccer season or a play or during exams,” sighed Abby. “I’m just busy now that I’m in high school.” She paused for a moment, smirking. “And who said I didn’t play anymore? Maybe I just found some better players.”

            “Hey!” Dustin put a hand on my heart. “You wound me dearly milady.”

            Abby rolled her eyes as she flipped on the house light before turning off the lamp in the living room. “Now get to bed.”

            “Wait, are you serious? Who do you play with?” asked Dustin as Abby darted down the hallway. “Hey! Don’t run away from me! Who stole our elf archer?”

            Abby slammed her door shut and locked it. Dustin banged on the door. “I ain’t tellin’ ya nothin’. Go to bed!”

            Abby shoved her notes into a pile and put them on her nightstand. She waited until the banging stopped before unlocking the door. She turned off the big light leaving only her lamp. She reached into her nightstand pulling out Jane Eyre. She had a bookshelf, but she refused to leave the book out for her mother to see because the last time she caught her reading P. S. I Love You next thing she knew her mother recommended romance books. Halfway though chapter two she was completely mortified by what her mother read.

            When her door creaked open, she looked at her clock seeing it was 10:55. She tensed expecting to see her mother but instead Dustin peered inside.

            “Dusty, seriously, you are really trying to give me a heart attack tonight,” Abby sighed, putting her book away.

            “Can I sleep in here? Please?” Dustin asked using his best puppy-dog expression.

            Abby rolled her eyes. “Just get in here before mom gets home.”

            Dustin closed the door quietly. “She’s already home. Fell asleep watching TV.” Then he bounced on the bed making Abby laugh when she nearly fell off the bed.

            “She worked two shifts…” Abby mumbled, biting the inside of her lip before looking at Dustin with gentleness.

“You haven’t asked to come into my room for a while. Why tonight?” She prodded gently.

            “Couldn’t sleep. Could you maybe…tell me a story about dad again?” Dustin asked sweetly with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

            Abby felt her stomach drop a little bit but smiled at Dustin. “Sure, just one, because it’s late. Which one do you want me to tell?”

            “Do you have any you haven’t told me?” Dustin asked warily.

            “Dustin…I’ve told you like twenty times I won’t tell that story until your 13th birthday. You’re still too young for that one,” Abby frowned sharply.

            “I wasn’t going to ask about that! I swear!” Dustin whispered, waving his hands in denial. “I wanted a funny one.”

            “Sorry, yeah sure.” Abby ruffled Dustin’s curls. Dustin shoved her hands away from hair. “There is one I don’t think I told you.” She paused for a moment. “So you know how dad played baseball in college before he met mom. I wish I could say I inherited his gift for baseball. But alas I did not. I really fucking sucked. I was no where near hitting the fucking ball when we played at school. I always hated when we had our baseball unit in PE. So, one day in third grade…”

            A small girl walked through the door. Her brown curls barely reach her shoulders looking more like a bird’s nest than a proper haircut. She threw her backpack on the floor.

“I’m never going back to school!” wailed Abby running up the stairs.

“Abigail Grace Henderson!” called her mother from the kitchen walking into the living room hearing all the ruckus.

Abby dramatically flopped on her bed. The door slowly creaked, and a tiny Dustin walked in holding a toy stegosaurus. He came up poking Abby.

“Sissy, play dinosaurs?” asked Dustin.

“No,” mumbled Abby into her pillow.

“Please dinosaurs,” said Dustin pouting slightly.

“I said no! I don’t want to play stupid dinosaurs with you!” snapped Abby.

Dustin’s eyes got big filling with big crocodile tears. His lower lip started to quiver.

“Shit,” said Abby biting her lip. “Don’t cry. I didn’t mean to yell. We can play later.” She quickly tried to negate the bubbling tears before Dustin let out a wail that would alert their parents. She went into her nightstand pulling out a 3 Musketeers Bar shoving it in his hand.

Dustin giggled running off with the candy bar. Abby let out a sigh of relief until she saw her father standing in the doorway with a raised eyebrow.

“Wow, you sounded a bit of a…”

“Dustin! Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” scolded Abby “give me a break I was 8 and had a bad day.”

“Why?” Dustin questioned.

“If you shut up, I’ll tell you.”

Abby’s dad was a tall man nearing 6 feet and a muscular build. With his mop of dark brown curls and bright blue eyes all made him a bit of an intimidating man. He was wearing a red and black plaid shirt and blue and yellow Brewers baseball cap.

“Care to explain why you are yelling at your little brother?” questioned Abby’s father firmly.

“Umm,” sputtered Abby. “I got mad because he wanted to play, and I wanted to be alone.”

Her father sat on the bed next to her. “But instead of telling him nicely to go away you decided to yell at him. How do you think that made him feel?”

“Not good,” replied Abby looking at the floor.

“What should you have done instead?” her father asked.

“Use my words.”

“Right. Now, you understand that. Why are you so mad?” probed her father, his voice much gentler than before.

“We are playing baseball in PE for the next month. And I can’t hit the ball. All the kids laugh and call me ‘No Hit Abby’,” pouted Abby.

“Kids can be not nice sometimes. But that doesn’t make it okay for you to not be nice at home,” replied her father.

“I know. I just got angry.”

“Abby, you are better than that. Were you born able to swim or ride a bike?” Abby shook her head. “Right, you had to practice. Do you think throwing a fit helped you back then?”

“No obviously. But I was like a baby, and you taught me those things.”

“Right. So instead of throwing a fit, what could you have done?”

“Asked for help,” muttered Abby.

            “Here’s what you are going to do. First, you are going to pick up your stuff downstairs. Then, you play with your brother for a half hour then do your homework. After dinner we will go outside and practice,” said her father. Abby let out a small whine. “Absolutely no whining. You are not going to treat your brother, who happens to adore you, like that.”

            “Okay..okay, I get it.”

            “Good.”

            Dustin let out a sigh. “So, what’s really so funny about this?”

            “Jesus Dustin,” laughed Abby. “It’s a story. You gotta wait for the good parts.”

            “Was dad scary?” Dustin questioned.

            “I guess sometimes. He was a really tall man. Built a bit like the tanks he used to drive when he was in Vietnam. He was more like a big teddy bear, but he was a lot stricter than mom is,” Abby answered shrugging.

            “Oh.”

            “Though he was a tough teacher he taught me a lot of stuff. Like teaching me to swim and ride a bike and rock-climbing,” continued Abby with a faint sad smile.

            “Woah, he took you rock-climbing,” gasped Dustin.

            “It was our little secret. Mom would have had a heart attack if she knew we often went rock climbing when we went camping. Dad always said it was just as important a skill as riding a bike when it comes to camping. I’ve told you like a million different camping stories,” said Abby. Her eyes began to burn making her squint slightly, but she managed to blink back the betraying liquid trying to escape.

            Dustin’s arms wrapped around her suddenly. Abby couldn’t help but hug him back. She smiled fondly at him as he curled up into her side.

            “So, every night we would spend at least two hours in the backyard with dad tossing me the ball and I kept missing it.”

            “It’s hard to imagine you sucking at a sport,” said Dustin.

            “Baseball is not my jam. I’m not that fond of basketball either, but I tolerate watching it. I really only liked soccer,” said Abby “I much rather go camping or hunting with dad than do all the stupid after school stuff mom tried to put me in. She made me stay in Girl Scouts forever, don’t get me wrong it was okay, but they never taught us the important stuff, only girly things.”

            Dustin hummed in response, his eyes shutting slightly.

            It was a Saturday. Abby and her dad were outside tossing the ball back and forth and taking swings at balls. No matter how many times he taught her how to grip the bat and wait to swing. She kept missing, though it was getting closer and closer.

            “It’s dinner time! You guys have been at it all day. It’s time to come in,” called Claudia from the back door.

            “Dee, give us one more try. She’s so close,” said Abby’s father, speaking sweetly much like Dustin had earlier.

            “Fine, one more.”

            “Come on, you can get Abs,” encouraged Abby’s father.

            Abby moved her hands up on the bat just like her dad had shown her. She waited. Swing. BAM! Dead center in the sweet spot of the bat.

            Abby jumped up and opened the door excitedly. She barely noticed her mother running towards her father, who was toppled over on the ground holding his lower gut.

            “Oh my, honey…are you alright?” Claudia asked between her laughing, finally pulling herself together. She patted her husband’s back.

            “Good job, Abs. If you do that, trust me they won’t be laughing anymore,” he grunted as he slowly got up off the ground.

            A soft snore made Abby look over at Dustin he had curled into a ball on her side with his head on her stomach. Abby patted Dustin’s head. “You remind me so much of him so painfully so.” She whispered.

            “He may look like your dad. But you act far more like him,” said Claudia softly.

Abby jumped, putting a hand on her heart. “Oh my god, mom, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Language, Abigail,” Claudia scolded half-heartedly. “I do mean it though.” She came in and sat on the bed next to Abby.

“When I look at Dustin, I see your dad. But when you laugh, I hear his laughter and see his smile. When you score a point your face lights up just like his. Your cheekiness and determination among so many things. You are so much more like him than you realize.” Claudia smiled sadly.

“I wish he could have seen how much you’ve grown. I don’t think I tell you enough how much I appreciate what you do,” said Claudia.

“You were always there for Dustin in a way I couldn’t. You did so much when you were still so young. I know, I know, you’ll say it’s not a big deal, but it is.” Claudia said her face slightly flushed as her brown eyes were slightly glossy in the dim light.

“Are you doing okay Mom?” Abby asked cautiously, watching her mother’s face intently.

“Of course. I just realized how much you’ve grown up and I couldn’t help it,” Claudia smiled hissing the top of Abby’s head. “Just being sappy again. However, you aren’t grown enough to not sleep. Go to sleep.”

“Right. Goodnight, Mom.”

“Goodnight, Abby.”

Abby turned off the light scooting herself down onto her pillow carefully not to wake Dustin. Although Dustin had once slept through a tornado, she was probably safe. She couldn’t help twirling a finger around Dustin’s curls much like she had done to her father years ago. She quickly wiped a drop of hot liquid that had run down her cheek.

            “Abby! Dusty! Breakfast is done!” Claudia called from the kitchen.

            Abby squinted as she rubbed her ears. Dustin groaned next to her and rolled over, kneeing her in the stomach. Abby gasped clutching the side of her stomach. “Fuck! Dustin get your ass out of bed,” she shoved Dustin, making him roll off the bed.

            “What the hell?!” Dustin shouted as he groaned from the rough landing.

            “You’re the one that kneed me in the stomach! Now, I remember why I stopped letting you sleep in my bed!” Abby hissed as she got up out of bed.

            “You didn’t have to push me that hard?” pouted Dustin as he got up off the floor.

            “You’re fine.” Abby rolled her eyes “Get out dork so I can get dressed.”

            “Fine.” Dustin slammed the door shut behind him.

Abby's hand reached for her favorite pair of jeans, fingers brushing over the soft denim. She rifled through her closet until her gaze landed on the fuzzy, striped blue and white sweater. Despite the fraying edges, evidence of countless washes, she couldn't help but smile at the familiar texture under her fingertips. It was a comforting reminder of the memories woven into its threads.

Abby saw the walkie talkie on her nightstand and pulled out the same box from the previous night. She paused for a moment looking at the familiar Brewers hat in the box. She took it holding it for a while before suddenly putting it back in the box and slamming the closet door shut. She squashed her notes back into her folder and shoved it back into her backpack with all her other books.

“Morning mom.” Abby greeted her mother brightly as she sat down at the table as her mother put strawberry pancakes in front of her. “Thanks.”

“DUSTIN, hurry up before I let your sister eat all the pancakes!” shouted Claudia. Abby rubbed her ears slightly as her mother had been standing right next to her. “Sorry dear, didn’t mean to shout in your ear.”

“It’s okay. But when I have hearing loss when I’m older I’m blaming you.” Abby started to shove a pancake in her mouth.

“Oh yes, your potential hearing loss will have nothing to do with blaring music all times of the day, especially that Metalda stuff.” Claudia rolled her eyes.

“Metallica. But I literally only listened to them one time and you won’t let it go” Abby replied with a mouthful of pancake.

“Seriously, are you five? Don’t talk while you’re eating.”

Abby rolled her eyes going back to her breakfast as Dustin walked in. She tapped her foot under the table blocking out the usual batter between her mom and Dustin in the morning. She watched the clock throughout breakfast before taking one more massive bite finishing off her plate. “Mom, can Dustin bike to school? I need to stop by the library to return a few books from my history project. I’ll be late if I take him to school too.”

“Dustin, do you mind?”

Dustin shrugged. “It’s fine.”

“Great! I gotta go then. I’ll be back by dinner time. We have a meeting for the Christmas musical, and I was going to go to Barb’s to study with Nancy but that’s after dinner.” Abby got up from the table getting ready to leave the kitchen but gives her mother a last second hug before running out grabbing her backpack from the floor as she left.

“Be safe! No speeding!”

“I will.” Abby waved off her mother.

Abby threw her backpack into the passenger seat of her navy Ford Escort. Inside she had a purple fuzzy dice and a Florida state fair fresher hanging from the rearview mirror as a gift from her grandmother. She fastened her seatbelt as she looked out the back windshield as pulled out of the driveway.

After reaching school Abby, after a harrowing escape from the librarian trying to get her to volunteer the only free time she gets on Saturdays, she went to her locker throwing in her books in the locker carelessly. She only grabbed her Romeo and Juliet for English and her notebook.

BANG.

Abigail held a hand on her chest hissing seeing the familiar jacket attached to hand from her peripheral vision. “Munson for fuck’s sake can you stop doing that?”

“So, Henderson. Friday night, usual place,” said Eddie rolling his eyes. Abby turned around looking up at Eddie.

“Friday is open. You got lucky I didn’t agree to babysit yet. You need to start giving me more than four days' notice, Munson.” Abby sighed.

“I can’t help it you overschedule,” Eddie rolled his eyes, “you’re the one that agreed to join Hellfire Club.”

“It’s not about me being overscheduled. It’s about common courtesy,” Abby rolled her eyes, “If I didn’t want to play D&D with you guys, I wouldn’t have bothered to overschedule myself. As much as I enjoyed the interrogation I agreed to meet Nancy and Barb at their lockers before English. I’ll see you Friday.”

“Are you sure you aren’t just trying to avoid being seen with me?” Eddie raised an eyebrow.

Abby rolled her eyes and sighed. “Why is it so hard for you to believe I want to be friends?”

“Because you have a clique. You have no reason to hang out with losers like us,” stated Eddie.

“I get everyone here tends to be an asshole here to you. I haven’t spent my entire life here in Hawkins. I don’t really know the whole history. But I’m usually a pretty good judge of character. With some error in that. I happen to think you are a decent person with a good heart. Just let me show you that I’m not like most of the assholes here,” Abby answered gently.

As Abby walked away, she saw Jeff walking up to Eddie. She could briefly hear Jeff scolding Eddie for being so suspicious. She gave a small smirk briefly hearing Jeff describe her fight with Carol in 7th grade.

            Abby leaned against the lockers next to Barbara finding the tall auburn girl changing out her books. “Chemistry is going kill me. I was up so late trying to study for this test. I can’t afford bad grades in Chemistry if I plan on going to a veterinary school after graduation.”

            Barbara rolled her eyes. “I seriously doubt a veterinary school is going to care about your grade in Chemistry in high school.”

            Abby playfully shoved Barb. “You’re supposed to be the supportive one. You’re probably right, but my undergraduate school will care.”

            “You’re overthinking again,” reminded Barbara.

            “I know, I know. I can’t help it,” sighed Abby. “ Let’s go find Nancy.”

            The pair walk towards the entrance of the school searching for Nancy as they are squeezed by the hoard of teenagers. Barbra waved to Nancy before Abby could see her.

            “So? Did he call?” asked Barbra.

            “Ugh, I didn’t agree to meet to talk about Harrington,” groaned Abby.

            “Keep your voices down—” hissed Nancy.

            Abby rolled her eyes.

            “Did he?” Barbara whispered.

Nancy shakes her head walking up to her locker. “I told you, it’s not like that.”

Barbara raises an eyebrow and Abby gags slightly.

“Okay, I mean, yes, fine, he likes me, you know, but not like that,” continued Nancy.

“I’m pretty sure that’s all Harrington thinks about,” said Abby. Barbra gives her shoulder a nudge and firm look. Abby raises her hands up in surrender.

“We just made out a couple times,” Nancy continued.

“We just made out a couple times,” mocked Barbara. “Jesus, you're gonna be so cool now. It's ridiculous.”

            “No, I’m not!”

            “Nance, you totally are,” agreed Abby.

            “You better still hang out with me, that’s all I’m saying. If you become friends with Carol and Tomm H…”

            “I swear to god I will tell everyone what’s in your diary if you do that,” added Abby fake gagging at the suggestion of Nancy being friends with them.

            “Gross. And I'm telling you, this was just a one-time, two-time thing, alright?” said Nancy as she opened her locker. Nancy pulls a note off her locker and opens it.

            Abby looked over Barbra and Nancy’s shoulder reading it along with Nancy. MEET ME. BATHROOM. STEVE.

            Nancy looks at Barbara and Abby, dumbfounded.

            “You were saying?” replied Barbara smirking.

            “Wrap it up Wheeler. Seriously,” remarked Abby.

            “Gross, Abby. We are in the hallway for crying out loud,” said Nancy scrunching up her nose.

            “Just giving good advice,” shrugged Abby ignoring the horrified looks from her friends, “he has a reputation , that's all. And I know your parents are strict and my mom doesn’t really question me at all about condoms.” She lowered her voice slightly to avoid people staring at the mention of condoms.

            “Seriously?” said Barbara.

            Abby shrugs. “She gave me a whole speech when I started high school that she didn’t want to be a grandma until I graduated college. Just take condoms when I need no questions asked.”

            “See you in English Nancy,” called Barbara and Abby breaking away from Nancy.

            “I can’t believe your mom is that cool about sex,” whispered Barabra as a group of girls walked by.

            Abby continued, “My mom says I’m going to do that stuff and other things anyways. She would rather have me do it in a safe way. She's just being practical and honest with me.”

Barbara raises an eyebrow, her expression reflecting confusion rather than judgment. "Your mom is... different."

“Maybe. But look if you had to deal with what my mom and I did, you’d be different too,” sighed Abby sensing that Barbara really didn’t understand.

            Abby continued, "It's really not just my mom, Barbara. It's about trust and openness in our relationship. Something you and Nancy seem to have nailed down."

Barbara frowns, her loyalty to Nancy evident in her defensive stance. "Nancy's different. We've been through a lot together."

Abigail nods, acknowledging Barbara's point, "I get that, but it doesn't mean our friendship should be any less valued."

Barbara's eyes soften as she considers Abigail's words, "It’s not like…,” she sighed. “I never meant it like that.”

“You didn’t have to,” said Abby, “It was obvious.”

            Just as they were about to enter the classroom Barbara blurts out, "I heard rumors about you this summer... about you and George."

Abigail's eyes widened in shock, hurt evident in her expression. "What kind of rumors? Who’s been saying stuff?!”

Barbara immediately regrets her words, realizing she's overstepped her bounds. "I'm sorry, Abby. I shouldn't have said anything."

Abigail's hurt turns into frustration, "Why do you always jump to conclusions about me? You never question Nancy like this."

Barbara's guilt deepens as she realizes the fact she really does treat them differently, "You're right. I shouldn't have assumed. But you didn’t deny either…"

            Abby paused for a moment, “I think I’m going to sit by myself today. Don’t expect me to be in the study group either. I need some space.”

            “Abby, please, I didn’t mean it like that,” said Barbara as Abby slipped into the classroom.

            “Serious Barb, back off,” said Abby, “This was a lot. I need time and if you want to show you value my relationship as much as Nancy's, give it to me.”

            Barbara pressed her lips together but went to sit in her usual seat while Abby went and sat with an unfamiliar girl with shoulder length mousy brown hair she had seen a few times but never spoke to.

            “Hope you don’t mind,” said Abby.

            “Yeah, sure, no problem,” sputtered the girl moving her stuff over.

[yaoi-life96]

Monsters Within

Summary: After complete radio silence from nosy Reporter and informant Freddie Lounds and a mysterious email, Detective Will Graham is sent off by his boss to investigate her disappearance. The investigation leads him to the Murkoff Corporation and their involvement in the Mount Massive Asylum, which has been shut down before being reopened to house the criminally insane. Will heads to the asylum in the hopes of finding the missing Reporter. If only he knew what monsters lie inside...

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CHAPTER 4

Will watches the road, truck shaking as he drives up the dirt road, trees on both sides. He was a few minutes away from the asylum, having waited in a nearby cafe for the sun to start setting.

The radio played in the background, a loud, overplayed love song filled the cabin of the truck. He hates it, but he needs to know how far the signal blocking happens.

He reaches a turn when the radio turns to static. Will plays with the radio knob but nothing came through.

Looks like he's found the signal jammer.

Taking the turn, Will swallows as he passes the sign and sees a large gate with an old, giant crumbling building. It was quite intimidating.

The gates were open so he pulls in, parking before the security barrier. Taking a deep breath, Will grabs his bag and exits the truck.

Pulling out the walkie, he turns it on to hold down the button.

"Hey, uh, I'm at the asylym, signal gave out a few feet from the sign, so, uh, can anyone hear me?" asked Will.

He removes his thumb but static is all that greets him. He tries again, but no one answers.

"Shit, this must be a military grade signal jammer, I'm on my own." groaned Will.

He pockets the walkie and starts walking towards the asylum. As he does, a loud noise makes him jump, looking back.

The gates just shut.

Gulping, Will pulls out his camera, zooming in on a few windows, most lite up by lights. So there were some people inside.

As he looks around, a dark shadow passes one of the windows. Will jumps, pulling the camera away to shake. Who was that?

He looks up to the window for his blood to freeze. The shadow was still there, watching him.

Whoever it is, they're pretty tall and thin. And know he's there.

Taking a shaky breath, will moves closer, keeping an eye on the window. He reaches the small rotary when the room lights go out, making him jump.

Shit, they were on the move, which means they'll come looking for him.

Panicking, Will runs to the front door to open the doors but they refuse. They were bolted shut.

"Dammit, how did Freddie get in here?" he wondered.

Looking around, Will starts walking away when he notices a brick wall with a gate door. A broken gate.

Walking to it, the dark haired man crawls under the broken door to see large scaffolding, and at the top was an open window.

"There it is." Will muttered.

He grabs hold of the ladder and starts climbing up. Walking carefully, he pulls himself up to the next level of the scaffolding. He jumps to the next part to see one of the boards missing that took him towards the window.

Sighing, he presses his back to the wall, shimmying across the board. Once safe, Will pulls himself into the window, now inside.

Though the lights immediately goes right it, casting him in darkness.

"Of course, what else can go wrong?!" grumbled Will irritably.

Pulling up the camera, he switches to night vision mode and makes his way through the room. Once at the door, he pulls it open to freeze.

There was blood splattered across the wall before him. Looking down the hall, he sees more blood splashed around.

"And I'm going back out the window." said Will, shutting the door.

He stands there, in the dark, weighing his options. He could save his own ass and hop back out the window, back to his truck and ram those flimsy gates. Though he'll have to deal with Jack's anger and yelling.

Probably lose his job while being yelled at.

Groaning loudly, Will shoves the door back open and makes his way down the blood stained hall.

"I hate my job, after this, I am job searching again, screw Jack." growled Will.

Coming to the end of the hall with a glass door, the door leading to the bathroom shuts. Startled, he tries the glass door for it to be locked.

Keeping an eye on the bathroom door, he slowly makes his way to the other door, closing it behind him.

Sighing, he looks at the room he's in, a mini kitchen/break room.

"Everything is locked, how did Freddie even get far enough to send that distress email?" he wondered.

Looking around the room, seeing bloody pieces of bodies, Will notices the damaged table looked up a ramp... with an open air vent above it.

"Well, I did always say she's a rat."

Putting his camera away, he pulls himself into the vent and starts shimmying his way towards the end.

As he does, he hears hysterical laughter and a bang. Through another grate, Will watches the door burst open. A bald man in dirty clothes enters, laughing before running back out, door slamming shut.

"Well, I'm not going back this way, sounds like the door was pulled more through the wood." sighed Will.

He crawls more through the vnt, but felt his mind start to swim. He was feeling the crazed man who had come in.

'Fear, I'm afraid, its coming, the doctors did this, they lied, they all did this, we're going to die here, even if IT doesn't kill us, HE will, they'll never let us leave here alive!' emphasized Will.

Taking a moment to clear, he wonders what is It and who is He that the man was afraid of. Especially to the point of hysteria.

Sadly, Will may be finding out soon. Fuck you to Hell, Freddie.

[spicyyy-muffin]

Hide n Seek

Scare kink, size kink, this is literally pure smut please be warned. 18+

“catch me if you can”

i pressed my walkie on its specific channel to ghost.

“you’re an idiot y/l/n” he spoke through the Bluetooth device in my ear

“get outta my ear McTavish”

I climbed over old couches and rusted warehouse equipment. I needed to find a good place to hide that wasn't blown to pieces or see through.

turning off my walkie and even going as far as lowering the volume in the bluetooth device in my ear.

 I would never live it down if he found me.

“he's got tha name ghost fora reason, you daft dimbo.”

“don’t you think i’m aware?”

I crouched and squeezed in between a small space under an abandoned desk.

trying to make myself as small as possible, i curled up bringing any residue around me as a cover.

“He's gonna get you little one.”

The quiet groan of the door forced me to shut the device off completely.

his footsteps i couldn’t hear, aside for the slightest crunch in gravel beneath his combat boots growing increasingly closer to me.

looking through the cracks in the metal, no guns were drawn except for a knife in his right hand.

my heart sank, i trusted him with my life. but spooking a member of 141 was a death wish. and catching them at the wrong time would be a one way ticket to wherever my six feet deep hole waited for me. 

he slithered through the door, continuing to the next room while I waited for complete silence.

I opted for the door he came through, thinking he would be in an entirely different side of the building than me.

I kept my hands free of any weapon, preparing for the slightest sign I might have to run or crawl my way out.

I stood at the top of a flight of stairs. no sound, no lights, no gravel, I could have been alone.

a breath shot down my neck.

in seconds I was against a wall with a burly man pushing against me. his cool blade against the soft of my neck.

his eyes glowed into mine, heavy breaths breaking the silence.

"I thought you were the shit?"

I shuffled my arms underneath him trying to find a leeway. His eyes brightened in amusement.

The fabric on his face lifted revealing his mouth seconds before he dropped it to my neck.

The knife was digging into the left side of my neck, drawing blood in his wake. Hurting more the harder his kisses became.

“Ghost, Mctavish is- he’s right-” 

He brought his head up to look into my eyes, “at the bar two blocks from here. You underestimated my intentions for hide and seek sweetheart.” 

Pocketing the knife, his hands rustled with my clothing until they landed on the button of my jeans. 

On his knees he looked up to me. Even though he was supposed to be feeling vulnerable we both knew that I was the only submissive one here. 

“I wanna taste.” 

My fingers traced his plump lips first, short stumble scratching me.

I smiled looking down at him, trying to memoriize the outline of his beautiful face. 

“I want a kiss.”

In seconds his large hands covering my cheeks, lips ravishing mine as if we were running out of time. Time seemed to slow down when his tongue traced my bottom lip, pulling away to take a breath and pushing into me deeper. His hands were everywhere, m,y hair, taking a minute to wrap around my throat, he reached both of them down under my butt and lifted me on his waist. 

A few inches above him again he pulled away to look up to me. 

“Don know how long I can do this sweetheart.” 

He panted onto my mouth. 

“I wanna taste you so bad but another part of me is saying I should jus fill you to the brim.” 

A hot bolt of arousal shot down my stomach into my clit. 

I laughed against his lips kissing them one more time. “Maybe you should just hurt me.” 

He groaned pressing his forehead onto mine. 

“There you go saying some dumb shit again.” 

My back pressed against the cold concrete floor, combat pants somewhere across the room his head was in between my legs and he wasted no time. 

Switching between tongue fucking me and wrapping his lips around my clit and sucking so hard I knew I wasn’t going to last long. 

I threaded my fingers through his hair trying to mask my sounds. 

He pulled away his hand gripping my throat, “Unless the bar Soap’s in can hear you, you’re not loud enough. N what does tha mean angel?” 

My breath was shaky, “I don- I don’t get to cum.” 

“Mmmm good girl.” 

His mouth resumed and this time I let my noises be whatever they wanted. My orgasm consumed me. My lower back lifted from the ground as I pleaded with him to stop before he flipped me around and did exactly what he said he was gonna. 

He filled me to the brim. Hot pants on the back of my neck I tried to grip onto anything I could to distract me from the pleasure I was feeling from his cock hitting my cervix. 

“Sososo- so good, please don’t.” 

“Fuck baby, I’m not gonna.” Seconds, minutes im not sure how long until I could hear the slight sound of a phone buzzing. 

His phone. 

He flipped me around again, putting my legs around his neck he found new spots that drew me crazier to the edge. 

One palm covered my mouth as he leaned down to my ear, “Be a good girl and stay quiet for me.” 

My brows scrunched up before he reached his other hand down to grab his cellphone and he answered the call. I could hear our captains voice over his balls slapping against me. 

“Ghost, you copy?”

“Yes Sir.” 

“Clear?”

“Yes Sir.” 

“I have one more important thing to discuss with you, when-” The Captain continued as Ghost screwed his eyes shut in pure irritation. 

“Yes Sir.” 

“Good.” 

The call ended and he abandoned his phone near my head and removed his other from my mouth. 

“Fuckin prick.”

He smirked down at me.

“It turned you on, could feel you squeezing me harder.” 

“AsshoLE-” He pounded into me harder. 

“We can try that another time.” My vision turned murky as stars exploded behind my eyes. 

“Fuckin hell, I don't think I’ll ever get tired of that.” 

[xthenasinclxir]

“Ant, baby spiders, anything small to climb through the cracks. Or something could have laid eggs. Or maybe something like moisture built up and then froze or hardened inside of it….I’m grossing you out, aren’t I? I should probably stop listing off things.” She didn’t want to weird Beth out. In fact, Athena probably could have gone on and on about what was lurking in the watch but that was not a normal conversation topic. She awkwardly smiled and nodded as she moved to the side so Beth could pull up a chair as well. “Yeah, sure. It’s not exciting, though, so if you get bored and want to do something else, that’s fine.”

Beth’s proposal of another project had her perked up and she pushed the watch a little aways. “Yeah, of course. I could take a look for you. If it’s not staying twisted it might need a new timing mechanism or springs….or gears. Or a new timer altogether.” Of course, she wouldn’t know until she took a look. “Is it at your place?” It probably was obvious and she regretted asking it the moment it came out. “That was a stupid question,” she said with a laugh as she stood up. “Let me just switch the receiver output to the walkie.”

"Mmm," Beth hummed her understanding. She'd been fidgety in school; idly shredding erasers or doodling in any spare margin. It was keen that Athena had something more productive.

"Wait. A critter might've gotten into a watch?" Shouldn't have been surprised, really - bugs were notorious for their ability to invade the turf of people. "Like an ant, or...?"

A glance toward Athena and Beth added, "Mind if I watch you fiddle with it?" She had a feeling it could stress Athena out, being observed at a task. But you didn't know if you didn't ask.

"Colin?" Beth blinked, feeling herself deflate as the distraction faded. "It'd be nice, but I don't wanna go distracting him. But, that reminds me." She thumbed back over her shoulder, the way she'd come. "I found this broken auto feeder for his cat but the little..." Having to stir the air for the right word, Beth carried on after a moment. "it's like a kitchen timer dial? You twist for how long till it dispenses food? Anyway, it won't stay twisted. Hoped you'd take a look for me."

It didn't sound as brilliant out loud. Colin deserved a better Welcome Back present. Beth huffed her hair away and mentally shrugged. Maybe Athena would have a better idea.